All I Wanted Was Some Ice Cream
by completerandomness12
Summary: Bella Swan is your average bad ass rebel rocker chick. Being in the right place at the right time, Bella ends up saving the President's life, therefore, becoming an international celebrity overnight and personal friend of the First Family. Based off Meg Cabot's All American Girl.
1. Chapter 1

**Good news! While cleaning out the abyss of my computer I found this PDF. I'd been getting a lot of requests so I thought I'd post again.**

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 **BPOV**

"Bella!" I hear my mom shout from downstairs. "Wake up! You can't be late to school… again" she adds as an incentive to wake me up.

It's only November and I already have 25 tardy slips. That's not even including those that are in school. You see, I have a slight problem with punctuality. To me, time has always been relative. Why rush? Everything that needs to be done will get done. Unfortunately, the administration at Jefferson High School doesn't feel the same way. They say that if I get to 30, they're going to start to suspend me in increments of 10 absences. Since that would mean my "perfect" record would turn to piss, I guess you can say that my parents have been riding my ass.

Yep. That's right. I'm still in high school. You figure that someone as awesome as me would get out for good behavior like any normal penitentiary, but noooo… I'm forced to attend school with the same dicks, pussies and assholes that I've known since daycare. I'm a little bitter for those of you who hadn't noticed.

"Bella!" dad shouts, this time. "Get up. Now!"

I run over to my drawer and find a semi clean shirt. It's black with a turned over bowl of cereal that says "Serial killer" on it. I thought it was funny. I find my favorite pair of black jeans that are ripped within an inch of their life and grab a pair of Converse and race out of my room to the bathroom—but not before I fall down the stairs from my attic bedroom. It hurt. Badly.

"You okay?" my parents ask. "Yeah"

"Okay. Don't wash your hair today. It's cold outside today. I don't want you getting sick."

I drag my borderline limp body to the bathroom and proceed to take the shortest shower of my life.

I run downstairs and grab a granola bar and a cup of juice. I check the time and see that it's 8:45. School starts at 9. I have 15 minutes. I should make it on time.

I scarf down my makeshift breakfast and head towards the door.

"Bella!" mom catches me before I can leave. " Remember to pick your sister up from her cello lesson at her school today at 5…on time. You also have to watch her until your dad and I get back from work."

"Which is?" I ask, hurried. I really need to leave. "8…maybe 9" she shrugs.

"What?" I whisper yell. "You know I have band practice at 6."

I'm in this awesome band called Social Siberia. I'm the lead singer, 2nd guitar and only female of the group. We're pretty cool. At least I like to think so. We've only been together 2 years. But, we've gotten a few gigs. I take it seriously. Mom is threatening to make me quit if I make it to 30 tardies.

"Your dad has to supervise a case and I need to stay late to work on my briefs." There is either the sucky or awesome part about having successful parents. They're hardly ever home. Today, it's sucks.

My father, Charlie is a lead detective in the DEA. He catches all kinds of bad ass drug dealers. Seeing that we live in Washington D.C.- one of the crime and drug capitals of the country- you can guess that he's gone a lot. It wouldn't be odd to see him on the news after catching a well-known drug dealer. He's already gone to work.

Then there is Mom. Renee is a hardcore environmental attorney. It's been said that other attorneys see her and run away in fear. I've yet to see it. She's fought everybody from oil riggers in Texas, to developers in Brazil. She's even been on Good Morning America about one of her past cases. She's been itching to get in on the BP oil spill. Pretty much, if you're fucking up the environment in any shape, form or fashion, she'll find you. Then she'll sue your company until there isn't anything left. Point is, you don't argue with her.

"But-"

"But nothing" she interrupts. " Your father and I have to work and your 9 year old sister can't be home alone while you go off and play rock star. It's about time you earned your birthday present isn't it?" she smirks.

Damn. She pulled out the big guns. For my 17th birthday present, my parents got me a brand new 2015 Ford Escape (to replace the beat up Chevy that died. This car is fully loaded- and perfect. My mom pushed for it because it's a hybrid so it wouldn't be as bad as most cars. When I first received it, I was so happy I could shit. Now, I see it as a curse. As soon as I got it, I became the errand girl of the house. Getting groceries, taking and retrieving Angela from her various practices, it doesn't seem to end. If I'd known I'd be selling myself into slavery, I'd happily be taking the bus. No. I wouldn't. Anyway, my mom calls it responsibility. I call it strings attached. Now, every time I do something a little wrong, they threaten to take my car away. It's torture.

Mom has me by the balls and she knows it. "Fine" I give in. "You win"

"I had every intention" she smirks. "It's 8:50" she informs me as she walks out of the door as I race to my car.

"Shit!" I yell.

"Language" she tells me as she hops into her Prius and pulls out behind me. "I love you" she yells out of her window.

"Love you too" I tell her as I wave and drive off.

Luckily, Washington D.C. morning traffic wasn't as big of a bitch as I imagined. As I race to school, I'm pretty sure that I almost broke the sound barrier by how fast I was going. I check and notice that it's 8:55 when I finally find a space. I run to my locker to drop off my bag and step into homeroom as soon as the bell sounds. I made it.

"Wow," Ms. Shaw says in fake astonishment causing the room to laugh. "You made it"

I rush my way to my seat and wait for the bell to sound to get this day over with. I

feel a buzz in my pocket. I reach for my cell phone and notice a text from Rosalie.

 **Rose:** **Cutting** **it** **kinda close. Aren't** **we?**

 **Bella: I don't know how to do it any other way.**

I look over and see my best friend surrounded by the usual flock of popular kids. Most people, okay everybody, wonders how Rosalie Hale and I are best friends. I mean, Rose is blonde, gorgeous, the whole nine. I'm just…me. Brown hair, brown eyes. That's it. Don't you think it sucks that I can't even describe myself? But somehow, we get each other. Me, Rose, and her twin brother Jasper have been best friends since kindergarten. We bonded over our hatred of assholes.

 _Flashback_

 _Today is my first day of big girl school. I didn't want to go, but mommy and daddy made me. I wanted to stay home. Why do I have to go to school anyway?_

 _I walk into this room. It's filled with bright colors and pictures. Some of the kids are running around. All of the chairs are taken so I have to go to the back of the class. I sit next to these two blonde kids. One is a girl. The other one is a boy. They are talking to each other. I don't want to get in the way so I just look around and be quiet. Then I hear the girl and the boy yelling._

 _"Dummy!" the girl yells and slaps him over the head. That's not nice. "You forgot the crayons. How are we supposed to color?" she asks him._

 _"You took them so you could color in your room. You should have packed them" the boys says as he rubs his head. "I'm telling mom you hit me"_

 _"No you aren't!" she tells him._

 _I don't want them to get in trouble so I grab my crayons out of my book bag. It's the 64 pack… with a sharpener._

 _I tap the girl on the shoulder. "You guys can share with me. I can't use all of mine anyway."_

 _The girl and the boy look at each other and shrug their shoulders. It's weird._

 _"Okay" they say. "Thank you." "You're welcome."_

 _We sit in the back of the class coloring until the girl tugs on my shirt. I look up._

 _"My name is Rosalie. But my parents and Jasper call me Rose. You can too if you want."_

 _"I'm Jasper" the boys says from beside her._

 _"Hi" I say. "My name is Isabella. But can you call me Bella please? Isabella is an old person's name"_

 _"Okay Bella" they say together._

 _We spend the rest of coloring time coloring. We didn't say anything._

 _Then recess came. I couldn't find Rose and Jasper. I went to the sandbox and started to build a sandcastle. I was almost done until this blonde haired boy came by and stepped on my castle._

 _"Hey!" I shouted. "That wasn't nice!"_

 _"You're ugly" he shouted as he pulled on one of my pigtails. "Ow!" I shouted before I started to cry. "Shut up!"_

 _"No" he shouted. "Bella's ugly! Bella's ugly! Bella's ugly!" he started to chant. "No she's not" Rose shouted coming out of nowhere._

 _"You can't be mean to her cuz she's our friend." Jasper said. "You're ugly too" he said. Rose got mad._

 _"Are not!" I yelled at him. "Are too"_

 _"Are not!" "Are too!"_

 _"Shut up, Mike!" Rose says as she throws sand in the boy's eyes._

 _"Yeah" me and Jasper say as I find my lunchbox and hit him in the stomach. Jasper pushes Mike to the ground._

 _" Bella! Jasper! Rosalie!" Ms. Brown yells at us. "I can't believe you."_

For the rest of the day, the three of us took up three of the four "naughty corners." But, from then on we never looked back. We've been best friends ever since. I couldn't help but laugh.

 **Rose:** **What's so** **funny?**

 **Bella: Do you remember when we jumped Mike Newton in kindergarten?**

I hear her snort out in laughter. She must have gotten the message.

 **Rose:** **It's** **one** **of** **my** **fondest** **memories.**

Eventually, homeroom gets out and I start my gruesome day. Nothing of note

really happens. Teachers talk. Students text while pretending to pay attention or take notes. It's all monotonous.

As soon as I sit down for lunch, I'm ambushed by Rose and Jasper.

"I heard that you almost got number 26 today" Jasper laughs. "Jeez, Bella. You only live like 5 minutes away."

"Seriously, Bella" Rose starts. "You gotta start waking up on time. How are we supposed to go to Georgetown together if you have 10 suspensions for tardiness?"

That's our dream. Ever since we knew what college was, the three of us always said that we'd go to Georgetown together. Rose for Engineering, Jasper for History and me for Music.

Music if my life. I wouldn't want to live in a world without it. It's the soundtrack to the universe. In a perfect world, I'd be a songwriter. I love being able to put my feelings on paper and share it with people. I feel otherworldly.

"I wasn't late" I deadpan.

"How are you always late?" Jasper asks.

"I like sleep. Sue me" I laugh. "Jasper, I won't be able to make practice."

"What?" Jasper asks, horrified. " We have that gig in like a week. We need you.

Why?" Jasper plays lead guitar in Social Siberia. We actually started the band together.

"Mom and Dad are working late. I gotta watch Angela." "That sucks."

"I know"

"I'll be able to come on Friday though" I tell him. "You better" he laughs.

Our conversation is abruptly ended by my chair being jerked to the side away from

the table. What an asshole.

"Why hello James." I say to him. "It's always a pleasure being harassed by you."  
"Hi, Loser" he laughs.

Me and James hate each other. I hate him because he's an asshole. He hates me because I don't kiss his ass. I only have to tolerate him because somehow Rose finds him appealing and has chosen to date him for the past 6 months. I don't know why.

"Hey baby" he says me before pulling up a chair next to Rose AC Slater style and kissing her. I start to listen to my iPod to try and block out James' presence.

What does she see in this asshole?  
"I missed you." Rose says.

"I know." He tells her, smugly. Like I said… asshole. "I figured I'd be seen with your emo friends and say hi to you." He adds. Really? "Why don't you sit with me, Victoria, Mike and the crew?"

I admit. Me and Jasper aren't really the social elite of Jefferson High, hence the band name, Social Siberia. The kicker is… we don't give a shit. Rose doesn't either.

Jasper could be popular if he wanted. I mean, he's Rose's brother and he's attractive. But, he doesn't want to be. I gotta admit. The kid is a little emo. He and Rose were both born with the same golden locks. He died his hair black in the 9th grade because he was I quote "didn't want to look like and Abercrombie and Bitch reject."

"Asshole" I grumble.

"Did you say something?" he asks me, thinking I'll back down.

"Yeah." I affirm. "I called you an asshole. Now we can add 'deaf' to your list of faults."

"Bitch"

"Fabio impersonator" I laugh as I flick his 90s style grunge ponytail.

"Rose" he asks. "Doesn't it bother you to hang out with these losers? I mean I get that Jasper is your brother but…"

"Rose" I interrupt. "Does it bother you that your boyfriend's ponytail is longer than yours?" I ask, casually. Jasper spits out his Coke from laughing so hard.

"Guys" Rose states calmly. I can tell she's trying not to laugh. "Be mature. James, I'm sitting with my friends. Why don't you sit with us?"

"Because they're weird and shit" he whined, sounding like a 3 year old. "I don't want to be seen with goth boy and the future cat lady over here." He points to me and Jasper. Jasper rolls his eyes and continues to eat his sandwich.

"Well, at least I won't be selling I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" I snap at him just

as the bell rings. I win!

I go on through my day and before I know it I'm sitting in my last class for the day-History. I personally don't see the point in taking a history class…because it's history. It happened already. Why bother?

I sit in my seat and listen to my iPod, where I am approached by Mike Newton… again. He's one of those All American type of boys. You know… blonde hair, blue eyes, basketball player, tool. He's very straight laced. I bet he listens to Justin Timberlake. I like my guys with a little edge. Most parents would love for their daughters to bring home a Mike Newton. But he just doesn't do it for me.

"Hey, Bella" he saunters over to me.

"No" I say. He asks me out every other day. The answer never changes.  
"You don't even know what I was going to ask."

Yeah I do.

"Okay"

"Do you want to go to the movies on Friday?" he asks. "Sorry" I say. "I have to go… do something else."

"Come on!" he whisper shouts. "I've been asking you out since the 8th grade! I'm hot. You're hot… in an Amy Lee kind of way. One date!"

You think me beating him up in kindergarten would be enough of a message to back the Hell off. Apparently, it isn't.

"Attention class!" Ms. Patterson calls the class to order, saving me from having to turn him down again. I received a text from Jasper.

 **Jazz:** **Newton** **asked you** **out…** **again?**

 **Bella: Yeah.**

 **Jazz:** **Are** **you** **ever** **going to** **give** **him** **a** **chance?**

 **Bella: Please. If I wanted a tool, I'd go to Home Depot and buy one.**

 **Jazz:** **LOL!**

I space out for the entire class. I guess I did a good job of pretending that I'm listening.

"Ms. Swan?" Ms. Patterson calls. "What is the extra credit assignment for tonight?" she asks, knowing that I don't know the answer.

I guess I wasn't doing a good job of not paying attention. "Ummm…. I don't know." I give up.

"Well, if you were listening, you'd know what you'd get 20 extra credit points to

distribute how you see fit if you write a 2 page summary of President Cullen's State of the Union. Vice President Denali might speak also. But since you weren't paying attention, yours has to be 5. And it's mandatory." She says, causing the entire class to join me in a gasp of shock. Damn.

"I could write a 10 page paper on how hot his sons are" Victoria belts out. Cue massive girl swoon.

"Screw that" Newton yells. " The first lady is HOTT!" "Don't forget the small one. She's smokin'"

The entire country has an obsession with the First Family. Scratch that. The entire

world has an obsession with President Cullen and his family. I must admit, for an older guy he's hot. But, for girls my age, it's all about Emmett, Edward, and Alice Cullen. It's seems that the world stops whenever one of them is mentioned. You

can't go an entire day without hearing or reading something about them. They're the new Kennedys. I'll admit the boys are hot. But like I said before, I like my guys with

a little edge and the suits that I always see the two wear don't seem too hardcore.

"Calm down" the teacher orders. "Remember to get your permission slips signed for the museum trip in two weeks."

Various class members spend the last 5 minutes discussing which Cullen brother they'd rather do until the bell rings. I race to get my things together so I can pick up Angela.

"Bell" I hear Rose shout as she runs down the hallway.

"Yep" I say, popping the 'p'

"Can Jasper and I come over your house today? We can do that extra credit assignment. Besides, my mom has her book club tonight. There's no way I'm getting stuck there again." She says with a serious face.

"Sure. My parents aren't gonna be home until 9 so it'll just be me and Angela. I

know she'll be pleased"

Angela loves to hang out with Rose. She calls Rose her "sister from another mister." Also, she's been in love with Jasper since she was 3. It's cute.

"Cool. I miss that tiny terror." She laughs.

"See you then" I say and give her a goodbye hug. I hop in the car and speed over to my sister's school. I'm surprised to find that I actually arrive on time.

My little sister goes to Lincoln Prepatory Academy. It's a private middle school. Did I mention that she's only 9 years old? That's right. I have a 9 year old sister in the 8th grade. She's sort of a child prodigy. Math, English, Language, Science… it doesn't matter. She just gets it- especially language. She's fluent in 5 of them. She taught herself. She was even mentioned in The New York Times last year. She has Ivy League college scouting her already.

I wait for her beside the car and eventually see her running toward the car.

My sister Angela is the cutest kid ever. She had shoulder length dirty blonde hair like my mom and brown eyes like me and my dad. She's also pretty cool as far as little sisters go.

"What's up, pint?" I ask her. That's my nickname for her.

"Nothing." She says before quickly entering the car and slamming the door behind her.

"Is everything okay?" I ask her when I get back in the car.

"I don't want to talk about it." She says quietly. "Can we just go home?"

"Okay" I say as I put the key in the ignition and start to drive. "When you wanna talk-"

"I know" she stops me.

Angela and I are similar in this way. When we don't want to talk, there is no use in trying to pry it out of us. I decided to just let it go.

We get home and Ange heads straight to her room and shuts the door. "Can I come in?" I ask , after I bang on her door.

"Okay"

I walk in slowly and sit next to her.

"I know you don't want to talk. I just want you to know that I'm here when you do. I won't tell mom or dad or anything."

"Okay"

"Cheer up" I say. "I'm ordering pizza. Supreme. Also, Rose and Jasper are coming over. That should brighten your day a little" I nudge her shoulder. I see her blush, no doubt thinking about Jasper.

"It makes it a little better" she smiles.

"Well, I'm gonna get out of your hair." I say as I leave her room and order the pizza.

I go to my room and pick up my guitar and just start stringing words together in hopes of forming a song. I let my fingers ghost against the strings of my guitar and feel a calming sensation followed by the inner peace that comes with being in my own world.

Before I know it, the pizza arrives along with Rose and Jasper. The four of us head to my room.

"How was practice?" I ask Jasper.

"Well, Jake and Paul were pissed. They got over it" he laughed.

"I'm sorry you had to miss practice to watch me" Angela looks down at her plate.

"No worries" I tell her. "It was my pleasure."

"Yeah" Jasper says as he ruffles her hair, making her blush. "It's cool."

"If mom and dad say it's okay, would you wanna come to the next practice?" I ask

Angela.

"Really?" she asks in return as her face lights up. "I can come?" "Only if the 'rents approve though. You know how mom is." "Sure" she smiles. "I hope she says yes"

"Oh God, Bella" Rose deadpans as she walks out of my closet. "Just when I think your wardrobe can't get any worse…" she leads off before flashing a black shirt with a paint splatter design. It says, "I just killed a clown" on it. "You buy something like this and surprise me." She shakes her head in disgust.

"What?" I ask. "I don't think the shirt is that bad."

"If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that." "Whatever. That shirt is hilarious."

"No it isn't" she argues. "It's morbid. When are you going to let me take you

shopping again?"

Rose has been trying to get me to go shopping with her for ages. We haven't been together since the 7th grade. It didn't end too well. She tried to literally force me into a dress. We decided that for the sake of our friendship, we'd stop all joint shopping trips. Sometimes, she forgets how serious things got that day.

"Never. Do you remember what happened last time?"

"Shut up. That was ages ago. I promise not to force you anymore. We need to get you some clothes that are more feminine. I'll even go into Hot Topic with you" Now she's begging.

"I'll consider it."

"Fine" she huffs and rolls her eyes. "Can I at least give you a couple pairs of shoes? We wear the same size anyway."

"Okay. You win the shoe battle." I tell her. I probably won't wear them, but it will

make her feel better.

"Good" she says as she finishes off the last breadstick. "Look, it's time for the address." She says as she turns the volume up and grabs a pen and paper.

"President Cullen is so hot" Angela says, causing me and Rose to look at her. "What? He is!" she crosses her arms and blushes.

"For an old guy, he's hot. I like the big one… Emmett" she says with a far off look. "I love a little muscle on a man."

"Then why are you with James?" Jasper asks as he jots down notes while laughing.

"Shut up" she goes on. "Emmett Cullen is the unattainable."

"Unattainable?" I ask.

"A person who you feel if you ever met you'd click. But they're just… unattainable" she shrugs. "Edward is hot too."

"Yeah" Angela gushes. "Isn't he Bella?"

When you look at pictures, you can't help but appreciate the sight that is Edward Cullen. His angular features, crooked smile and weird colored sex hair all serve to make him possibly the sexiest man to ever exist. He seems very polished. But, like I've said frequently, I like edgy guys.

"He's cute" I admit. "Okay he's hot. But, he seems a little too pretty for my taste." I

add..

"Suit yourself" Rose adds as she continues her notes.

"I gotta start hanging out with more guys. I'm gonna start my period if I keep hanging around you three" Jasper laughs.

Eventually, we take all the notes we need and it's 10 o'clock. Rose and Jasper leave to go back home. My parents aren't home yet. They must have gone out after they got off of work. After Angela goes to bed, I walk back up to my attic and get back to my guitar.

I clear my mind and stare out of my window into the night sky and strum my guitar, turning notes into chords and just enjoying the sounds that resonate

throughout my room. I hear a knock on my door. I turn around to see my parents coming into my room.

"Hey" I say as I walk to meet them halfway and hug them. "How was work? Catch any bad guys? Sue any eco-terrorists into the poorhouse?" I ask playfully.

"All in a day's work" dad laughs as he ruffles my hair. "Thanks for watching your sister. It meant a lot." Mom says.

"You're welcome. It wasn't that bad."

"We know that you had to miss your little practice and we're sorry." She adds.

The comment about my "little practice" doesn't escape me. My parents and I can't seem to see eye to eye on my musical aspirations. Mom wants me to have "a real major" in college. They just don't get how much I crave it. They want me to major in Literature. I don't see that happening.

"Well, there is always Friday's practice. Plus, we have that gig next Friday so we really need the practice."

"Okay" dad says.

"Actually, that's what we came up here to talk to you about." Mom starts. "About what?"

"Your band"

"What about it?"

"We think that you can channel your… aspirations in a different way." "How?" I hope she's doesn't want me to quit.

"You're a junior" I nod my head. "You're going to be applying to colleges before you know it."

"I get good grades" I have a 3.8 GPA. I could have a 4.0, I just hate History so I

always get Bs.

"We know, honey" dad includes. "But you have no extracurricular activities. The colleges you're looking at- Georgetown- will need a lot more than a stellar GPA to catch their eye.

"I have the band"

"No activities that colleges will recognize" mom adds.

"What are you trying to say? Do you want me to quit Social Siberia? Because I

won't do it. I started that band." I tell them defensively.

"We're not saying quit" dad tells, me calmly as he touches my hand to try to sooth me. "We just want you to channel your passion in another way"

"How?"

"We signed you up for this Musical History & Fusion class." My mom gushes. "It's taught by this British woman… Ms. Parker. She's worked with several famous bands and other artists over the years. It's about the history of music and how every genre is connected. It's a very prestigious program. Only 50 spots were available. I've been talking to her about you for the past couple of weeks. She's willing to add a spot for you as number 51.

This actually seems okay. I don't understand why they're approaching me like I'm a time bomb.

"It sounds cool" I say. I see their faces light up. "When is the class?" I see their faces fall.

"Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays… from 5 to 7" "What?" I yell. " I have band practice those days!"

"You're gonna wake your sister" my mom warns. "What's so bad about it?"

"Your practically asking me to quit the band that I helped start. That's what's wrong"

"We feel that it's best" "How?"

"Let me see" mom starts. "You're out until at least 11 on those days practicing. Hell, even on other days. That's what making you late to school on the time because you keep oversleeping. Honey, you have to start thinking long term. I understand that you love your music. But, I can't… I won't let you mortgage your future on a band that probably won't be together in the next 2 years."

"How can you say that?" I ask. " I go to school. I get good grades. I run your errands. I've never been in any serious trouble. I've never given you a reason to worry. What more do you want?"

"Are you serious? You think we don't know the character of those bars and clubs you guys play at. Those are not safe places, Bella. We worry sick every time you play anywhere. You can still be involved with music-"

"But I want my music mom. Christ, this is so fucking unfair!" I say. "Watch your mouth!" dad says to me.

I can't believe that this is happening. I'm so mad I can't see straight.

"You're going." "But mom-"

"You. Are. Going." She enunciates.

"Look." Dad interrupts. "If you can get your band to move practice times, fine. Have at it. But… you are going to those classes. Your mother pulled all sorts of strings to get you into that class. Not to mention the $15,000 price tag. I understand that this may come as a shock, but we're doing this for your own good."

"Sure. Whatever" I say, as I put my guitar down and get under the covers of my bed. My parents talk some more, but I tune them out. I'm too tired. I find myself angry at the tears of anger that are spilling out of my eyes.

This sucks

 **Author's Note:**

I know that there wasn't any Edward in this chapter. However, you will get him soon. I got this idea from the plot line of Meg Cabot's book, All American Girl. I've changed a lot of stuff though.


	2. Chapter 2

**Make sure to stop by my blog if you haven't already. I just updated the current skin. (krystlelovesmovies)(c0m)**

All I Wanted Was Some Ice Cream

Ch.2

BPOV

I spent the majority of the night tossing and turning. I couldn't believe what they did. How can they possibly think that enrolling in some college elective could take the place of a project I've been invested in for so long? I guess Will Smith was right. Parents just don't understand.

How was I going to break this to the guys? Would they move the dates? Disband?... Replace me? I refused to worry myself sick about it. So I went to bed. I only slept for like… 4 hours. Next thing I knew…

"BELLA!" mom calls from downstairs. "Get up! It's 8:00. Your alarm has been

going off for the past half hour" she tells me. I figure that I should get up. Maybe if I make a bigger effort to be on time she'd loosen the leash. It's wishful thinking.

I walk over to my closet and get out a simple white shirt, it says "I'm Bad" on it and blue jeans (pic on profile). I make my way to the bathroom and this time, I'm able to take a decent shower. Waking up on time has its advantages. I put on my clothes and add my favorite silver studded belt. It has chains around it. It's cute. Iput on my favorite pair of combat boots and put my hair into a loose ponytail and I'm good to go.

I walk downstairs just as my mom is packing her briefcase. My dad is sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee.

"You're up" my mom notices. "You have any plans today?"

"No."

Please don't ask me to do something.

"Okay"

"About last night, I just want you to give it a chance. People fall over themselves to get in this class" she gushes. "Promise me you'll try." she asks.

"I promise" I tell her, causing her to smile and kiss me on the forehead.

"I love you. I have to go kick butt today. Wish me luck." she says as she walks out the door.

"LUCK!" my dad and I shout from the kitchen.

I look through the cabinets to make my traditional breakfast of a Nutri-Grain bar and orange juice. My dad raises his eyebrows.

"You aren't happy about this are you?" I laugh sarcastically.

"Not really"

"Your mother and I don't have a problem with your band, per se. We just want you to be involved in something that can pique your interest and look good on a college application too. Is that so wrong?"

I see where my parents are coming from. I just don't understand why it has to be on my practice days.

"Why my practice days?"

"That's just when they are, honey. It's not like we did it on purpose"

"I just don't know how I can juggle everything."

"You'll find a way. If it's meant to be, it'll work itself out."

I feel a little better.

"How is it that you have a better way with words than mom? She's a lawyer" I ask with a slight giggle.

"I'm just that cool," he laughs.

"Naw… it's not that" I laugh, shaking my head.

"It's 8:30. You should probably go. I'm surprised you haven't gotten a speeding ticket from how fast you drive." He laughs and ruffles my hair.

"Okay" I say as I finish my juice as head out to my car.

I make it to school in 10 minutes and it feels kinda good to not have to run like my life depends on it to make it to class on time. Sleep feels a lot better though.

"Whaaaaat?" I hear Rose laugh. "You're here… this early?" she laughs.

"Shut up" I laugh as I flick her hair. "I'm trying to do better."

"Why?" Jasper asks. "The last time you were here this early, your mom told you she'd give you tickets to a Paramore concert."

"The rentals and I got in a debacle last night. I'm trying to make amends."

"What happened?"

Before I could answer, the bell sounds as we go through the normal beginning of the day.

"Pfft. Please" I hear Victoria sneer as I walk past her in the hallway. "I don't even know why guys think she's hot. She's so weird. Weird trumps hot right?" she asks as giving me the stink eye.

I hate Victoria just as much as I hate James. Just like James, it's mutual. She's been tormenting me since the first grade.

 _Flashback_

 _Today is Victoria's 7th birthday party. She invited everybody in class, but the girls get to stay late to have a sleepover. I'm excited._

 _When Mommy dropped me off, I saw that there were streamers and balloons everywhere and a table packed with presents. Victoria's mommy takes my present and puts it on the table. I got her a Barbie T shirt. I hope she likes it._

 _I go sit with the other kids and Victoria comes up to me._

 _"Hey, Bella! Thanks for coming to my party" she says as she hugs me. "You're welcome" I say and I go to sit next to Rose and we start to talk._

 _Her party was a lot of fun. We got to eat cookies and play games. I almost won Pin_

 _the Tail on the Donkey._

 _Victoria's daddy comes out with the cake and her mommy turns out the lights. When he puts the cake down all the kids go "oooh."_

 _What are they talking about?_

 _I'm short for my age, so I can't see. I stand on my tip toes to get a closer look. I still can't see. I jump and down. I still can't see. Then, my foot trips and I start to fall. I land on Victoria's back. She lands on her cake._

 _Uh. Oh!_

Needless to say, I didn't go to the sleepover afterwards. Victoria has hated me ever since. She thinks that I pushed her. If I'd known the kind of bitch she'd turn into, I probably would have.

"Freak" Victoria shouts at me as I make my way to the cafeteria.

"Cliché high school bitch" I reply as I walk through the door. After I get my lunch, I sit down with Rose and Jasper.

"What is it that happened?" Rose asks, taking a sip of her water. "My parents are making me take some music class at Georgetown."

"That's cool" Jasper says. "Why so glum?"

"It's Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays… from 5 to 7."

"What?" he shouts. "That's when we practice."

"Hence the glumness" I deadpan. "I can't get out of it."

"That sucks" Rose says as she pats my shoulder.

"I'm calling an emergency band meeting" Jasper says as he takes out his phone to text Jacob and Paul. "We need to figure something out."

"Yeah. I have to go tomorrow so I'm going to miss practice…again."

"I have to go print out my summary in the library" Rose interjects, pushing her chair in. She looks troubled. "I'll see you after school okay" she says, bolting for the door.

"Is she okay?" I ask Jasper.

"She's been that way all morning" he says. "Maybe it's her period. I don't know." He shrugs.

"Men. Always blaming things on periods" I laugh. "I'll go check on her."

I walk to the library to find Rose sitting at a computer but she isn't doing anything. I pull up a chair.

"Something is wrong." I tell her blankly. "Are you gonna fill me in or make me guess?"

"It's just…" she leads. "I'm confused."

"About what?"

"James. He wants to…"

"Oh. And you don't?"

"I don't know. He keeps talking about it" she hangs her head. "and saying that he loves me and everything."

"Do you love him?" I ask. I hope not. James is a douche.

"I'm not sure. But, I think I do"

"Well, I've never had a boyfriend." I laugh.

"Because you won't give any guy a chance" Rose interrupts. "You're hot shit" "Anyway" I pick up, rolling my eyes. "What I'm saying is that I've never been in love. But, if you loved him, I think you'd know. Don't give some douche your virginity if you aren't 100% sure about him. It's a gift you can't return."

"You couldn't go the whole conversation without calling him a douche could you?"

she laughs.

"I tried" I shrugged my shoulders. I notice the tardy bell ring. Shit.

I'm late to my English class… again. I don't feel like I missed anything. We're reading, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston. I read it when I was like 12. It's a good book.

I feel like English is my best subject. I get the whole, expressing yourself through writing bit. That's why my parents want me to major in English so badly. I'm not going to have a career in something just because I'm good at it.

The school day ends without anything else special happening. Next thing I know, I'm waiting outside of Angela's school waiting for her. I stand by my car to see her walking briskly towards me, leaving a group of 'plastic' looking girls behind. What happened? She walks past me and gets into the car and buckles her seatbelt.

"Ange.."

"Can we just go? Please?" she asks, her eyes starting to glisten with unshed tears. I pull off and we ride in silence. It's one thing for her to come home a little

annoyed. People are assholes. It's another thing for her to come home crying. Eventually, the silence gets the best of me and I pull the car over.

"Talk" I order.

"No" she says as she wipes her eyes.

"Talk to me, Angela" I ask. "I'm not gonna drive until you do. What has you so upset?"

"I can handle it. Okay"

"Coming home crying is not handling it. I won't tell mom or dad. You need to tell me" I say sternly, rubbing her back.

"It's just…" she starts while looking out the window. "Why can't I be pretty and cool like you and Rose?" she asks as she starts to cry. I unbuckle my seatbelt to hug her.

"Are you kidding?" I ask. "I'm not cool. You're cool. Who else has a kid sister who can help them with their Calculus homework?" I laugh slightly. "Do you know how I describe you?" I ask. She shakes her head. "My kid sister is the cutest kid ever." I really say that. She is the cutest kid ever.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." She accuses.

"Please" I scoff. "You're pretty, smart… and cool. I wish I was half the woman you are" I laugh. "What happened?"

"In class today," she sniffles. "Ms. Dawson asked what we were excited about. I said that I was excited about the meteor shower happening tonight. Melissa and her friends started laughing at me and calling me a geek." She cries. "I don't even know why I'm upset. She has the I.Q. of a grapefruit."

Are you serious? What kid in the 8th grade takes sport in making fun of a 9 year old? Angela is a certified genius. She always seems so in control and mature. At times like these, I remember that in spite of her intellect, she's still just a kid.

"You're smart. But, you're not a geek" I affirm , looking into her eyes. "You wanna come to my practice?" I ask. Her face lights up. I hardly ever take Angela to practice. She always has her cello classes those days.

"Really?" she asks. I raise an eyebrow. "Sure!" she yells.

I finally pull off and head towards Jacob's house. That's where we practice. I was the last person there. What a shocker!

"Oh my God, Bella" Paul laughs. "You're late. I can't believe you."

Paul is the sarcastic one of the group… even more so than I am… it's possible.

"Shut up!" I say as I flick him off.

Oops. I forgot Angela was here.

"Lovergirl!" Jacob shouts, as he runs up behind me and lifts me in the air. "Loverboy!" I gasp dramatically. "It has been far far too long" I add in my fake Scarlett O' Hara voice.

Jake plays the bass in the band. From how Jacob and I joke around, people always think we're dating. I mean… look at him. He has perfect russet colored skin, awesome personality, abs so tight that you could grate cheese with… let's not get on the smile. His teeth are so big and white they look like gum. I call him Colgate.

Too bad he's gay.

Most people don't know it though. He's not the stereotypical gay guy. He likes sports, goes to the gym, he's been known to kick someone's ass on occasion. He just likes to kiss boys.

"Hi, Jake" Angela smiles at him and blushes. She thinks he's cute. I don't have the heart to tell her.

"Alright" Jasper calls order. "Bella, tell them."

"My parents are making me take a class during our normal practice time. That means I can't make it tomorrow… or any other day for that matter… unless we switch our practice days." I say hesitantly.

Here it is… the moment of truth.

"Fuuuu" Paul starts, before he remembers Angela is with me. "Funyun. This blows" he says as he bangs his drum.

"I can't believe this shiii.. shitzu. We need you. How are we supposed to practice?"

"Well…" Angela says. "You can always do it on Tuesdays and Thursdays…probably Saturdays too if you practice early enough. As long as you don't mind Bella bringing me, it can work. It wouldn't make any sense for Belle to waste gas to have to drive past your house just to come home and then have to come back. Any questions, comments, or concerns?"

Wow. She made the suggestion to where we can practice and she gets to tag along. What did I tell you… she's a genius.

"No" I nod my head as the rest of the guys agreed and thank Angela for her

"genius" suggestion. She ate up the attention.

For the next three hours, we practiced various songs, included some that I wrote and introduced to the gang a few weeks prior while Angela played our audience. We decided to go with original material for our gig next Tuesday.

It's so close… yet so far.

On the drive home, I felt a lot better about my situation. Angela felt a better too. I arrive home to a very peeved pair of parents.

"Where were you? It's 7:00" dad asks.

"Practice. We're changing our days to Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. That way, everybody wins."

"Okay" mom relents. "You should have called. What's the point of having a cell phone if you don't use it?" Mom says

"I forgot. Sorry."

"Don't let it happen again" Dad tells me as mom nods and they head off upstairs. I go upstairs and start my homework. It's pretty easy… except the fact that the History stuff bores me to tears. After I finish, I grab my guitar, a pen and paper and try to get inspired. I hear Angela come into my room and stand behind me. She has her telescope with her and a blanket.

"You wanna watch the meteor shower with me?" she asks, hopefully. "I understand

if you'd rather do…"

"Sure" I tell her. She seemed to be really interested. Plus, mom and dad are probably too busy.

We go out to the backyard and Ange sets up shop. In preparation for the event, she told me about the different constellations and how long it takes for certain sights to appear. I couldn't find the patterns, but I smiled and nodded. She was so excited. The meteor shower was really beautiful. I wished it lasted longer.

After Angela went to bed, I put on my pajamas and jumped in the bed. I kept thinking about my day and everything that happened. I got the sudden inspiration for a song. I grab a pen and paper and began to strum the notes on my guitar. I stayed up until 3 a.m getting everything perfect. By the time I went to sleep, I was satisfied.

Unfortunately, I got my 26th morning tardy the next day. I overslept…again. I

wasn't happy about it. I'm already on thin ice. I get a text.

 **Rose: "Late again?"**

 **Bella: "I** **was** **up** **til** **3** **writing a** **new** **song.** **It's** **epic"**

 **Rose: "Cool. Can't wait to hear it."**

 **Bella:** **"Lunch"**

Lunch couldn't come fast enough. Rose told Jasper about my song and he was anxious to hear it as well. I wasn't hungry so I just sat down and waited for them to get ready.

"Soo…" Jasper leads on. "Let's hear it."

"Okay. I just wrote it and it was late so don't be too harsh. I'm sensitive." I say as I take my paper out. I relaxed and just started to sing. I didn't have my guitar with me so I had to sing acapella. After I finish, I look up to see Rose and Jasper's faces.

"Wow." Rose says speechless. "That's pretty awesome."

"Fuck yeah" Jasper agrees. "You gotta sing that for the guys on Saturday. It should be in our set next Tuesday."

"Really?" I ask.

"Definitely." Jasper affirms. "That.."

"SUCKED!" Victoria shouts from her table, causing James and the rest of the popularbots to laugh. Mike kept mouthing, "No it doesn't."

I'm still not going out with him.

"I guess you would know" I say from across the table. "I heard you have a vast knowledge of sucking. Then again, most people do. Everyone knows Victoria's Secret." I add with a whisper causing both tables to go silent… before Rose and Jasper started laughing. They sandwiched me in a high five.

Nothing else too interesting happened during the rest of my day. Next thing I knew, I was on my way to my first music class. My mom gave me some packets on the course and I visited the website. My mom was right. It was prestigious. People had nice things to say about it. I tried to put away my prejudice against it. I mean… my mom did spend $15,000 on it. I didn't want it to go to waste.

The class was from 5 to 7 in the Georgetown Music Building. The class had already been in session for two weeks, so I'd have to play catch up. I walk towards the door and start to get nervous. I just had a feeling that something… significant was going to happen today. I don't know why. I look in a close mirror and check myself. I have on a black tank with police tape in various languages on it with a pair of black jeans and converse. I looked okay. I gathered my nerves and walked in the door.

I look around and notice every type of instrument there could possibly be lining the room along with pictures of various musical figures. The room smelled like incense and the lights were very dim. I could hear the faint sound of tribal music in the background.

"You're 5 minutes late." A tall woman with grey hair at her temples says to me as I walk in. Shit. "You wouldn't happen to me Isabella Swan would you?" she laughs. Oh God. She knows me already?'

"Yeah" I say shyly.

"My God" she pinches my cheeks. "You're gorgeous." "Thanks" I say awkwardly. "Sorry for being late"

"It's okay. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Let's say you got lost. I have a

good feeling about you. You're aura is just… shining through you right now." She laughs. I pay attention to her. She seems like the earthy type with a long skirt that flowed around her with a peasant top and Birkenstock sandals. This chick definitely marches to the beat of her own drum.

"Thanks" I laugh. "Can you call me Bella please?" I ask

"Sure. You can call me Patricia" she nods her head. "Class" she claps her hands to get everyone's attention. "I'd like you to give a warm welcome to our new student. Honey, introduce yourself."

"Hello. My name is Isabella Swan, but call me Bella. And I'm addicted to music" I

end with a nervous laugh.

"Hi, Bella" half of the class laughs, making me feel less awkward that they got my joke.

"See" Patricia hugs my side. "We're all friends here. What instrument do you play?"

"Guitar" I answer.

"Take one from the wall" she orders.

After I take an electric guitar off of the wall, she grabs a bowl with pieces of paper in it. The class erupts into a chorus of "oohs" and "aahs"

"Now, pick a piece of paper." I reach my hand in the bowl and read to find the name of a song. Oh my God. Am I gonna have to play this? She looks at my choice and smiles. " You know, no one has picked that song before. I want you to go outside and learn this song. But, I want you to put your own spin on it. Make it…Bella.

Okay? You have 15 minutes"

"Uh… okay." I say as I walk out of the door. I sit in an empty room down the hall and think over how to re create this song. It's been covered so many times, I don't know what to do. After retooling it as much as I think I can, I'm pretty surprised at myself. I walk back inside to hear the class chanting, "Bellla..Bellla…Bella" while banging their hands on the table.

"Simmer down" Patricia says as she goes to stand by me. She picks up a guitar and stands beside. "I always sing with the students on the first go around" she laughs at my expression. "Now class, Bella has worked on this so be nice. It's actually never

been done before in this class so give her credit" she nudges me. "Bella, on the bridge I want you to go wild. Give it what you got and I'll be right behind you" she smiles.

"Okay, Bella" she finishes.

I start off with the first chord of the song and people's eyes light up with recognition. I changed the song to where it was slower and an octave lower. But, you could still tell what song it was. I look around and see the audience look of interest. So, I started to sing.

At that part, I added a somewhat sinister giggle. And growled as I said "start walking." Then, I just started to play the trumpet part on my guitar. It got faster, little by little. I noticed that Patricia was still playing with me.

Wow… she may be old… but she can rock.

I finish the song and the class starts to clap.

"Fantastic! I knew I was right about you." Patricia claps as she jumps up and down. "Where shall you sit?" she asks herself while itching her chin.

I notice a really tall… really big guy raise his hand. He looks out of place… and scary. As I looked around the classroom, I noticed he wasn't the only big and scary

guy there. There were at least 5 of them. There was one at each corner and one at the top of the class. That's weird.

Patricia looks confused when the big and scary guy raises his hand. "Are you sure?" she asks. "I can sit her…"

"It's okay" I hear a male sounding voice come out of nowhere. It sounds melodic and…sexy. It's weird because I couldn't see where it came from. "She's fine." Sexy voice adds.

Patricia looks at me, then to the top of the class. Then, she giggles, rolls her eyes and points to the big scary guy. "You can sit by Alec" she says, pointing to big scary guy.

"Alright" I say hesitantly, making the journey to the top of the class. The entire top row was empty so I sit by the end of the row. I hear some kind of movement behind me. I shrug it off and listen to the discussion happening in class.

I try to pay attention, but I can't stop noticing the big scary guy… Alec staring and me and smiling. Is he laughing? What's so funny? It go to be too much. I had to say something.

"Are you okay?" I mouth. I was starting to get scared by more than just his size. He nods in head 'yes'. Okay… so what is wrong wi-

"That was good" says the nameless melodic sex voice.

"Ahh!" I scream surprised. Patricia and the class stop the discussion to stare at me like I'm stupid. "Sorry" I apologize. Big scary guy laughs.

"I thought I saw a bug" I blush as the class goes back to normal.

"Sorry if I scared you," the voice says.

"It's okay" I whisper. "I'm glad you liked it. I had no clue how I pulled it off." I

shake my head.

"Well, Nancy Sinatra would be proud." He says.

Curiosity gets the best of me. I turn around to find a wall overlooking the classroom. It's short enough for the man with the voice to see me, but we can't see him. The only thing I can see is a Chicago Cubs baseball cap. How mysterious.

"It feels weird that I can't see you" I say. "People are going to think that I'm talking to myself."

"I know. It's kinda.."

"Bella" Patricia calls on me. "What are your thoughts?" she asks.

Shit. Why did she call on me when I wasn't paying attention? Let's see. We were talking about where artists find their inspiration for music. I wasn't talking to hat guy that long so they're probably still on the subject.

"Well…" I stall, trying to find inspiration for an answer. "I think artistic inspiration can be found anywhere. It depends on the artist, how they feel, the stage of their life… what drugs they're taking" I add, causing a small group of surrounding people to laugh.

Patricia smirks at my comment. "In today's world, what issue do you think would be the most commonly discussed?"

"So much is happening right now and people feel that their voices aren't being heard, or at least the people who are supposed to speak for them aren't doing they're job. But, people have always and will always feel that way" I shrug. I see some of the people in class nod their heads. I feel so smart.

"So you're saying politics is or could be a popular inspiring tool?" "I guess."

"How?"

"Poverty, unfulfilled promises, feeling cheated" I start off. "However, unfortunately, nowadays some pop tart will make a song about how hot they think President Cullen is." I say as I roll my eyes causing Patricia to look taken aback.

"You say that like it's a bad thing"

"I didn't mean it that way, it's just…" I start off, trying to find the right words to say. "the only reason why people care the way they do is because he's attractive. I mean…"

"So you're saying that the only reason he was elected was because of how he looks?" sex voice asks… rudely. I notice bug scary guy looking back and forth like

he's watching a tennis match.

"I'm saying it helped. It certainly didn't hinder J.F.K" I say, looking up the wall, trying to get a glimpse of the mystery voice.

"You don't think that his character, views, or tactics had anything to do with it?"

"Maybe" I counter.

"It's just that not everybody watches debates or research the views of politicians these days. But.."

"How can you say that?" the voice interrupts, angrily…again. "People are paying attention and researching more than ever now. The ratings for The State of the Union were significantly higher than average." Big scary guy nods his head in approval.

"Well, if they put a bag over his head, I bet they wouldn't have been. It's just a…"

"I personally think it's wrong for someone to assume something so callus without knowing a person. He could be…"

"And you know him personally?" I interrupt this time. This guy is pissing me off. "If you had let me finish my statement" I start as I slightly raise my voice. "I would have said that yes, people pay more attention because he's attractive. Also, it causes me to become more informed and the issues that affect both themselves as well as their country. The face gets you. His plan of attack and knowledge makes you stay on the channel. The other day, I had to do a report on The State of the Union. I found myself interested in what he had to say. The next day, my class had an involved and in depth discussion on what he spoke about… a class full of 16 and 17 year olds...most of which are teen girls." I finish in a short breath.

The class is silent. I look around and find all eyes on me… including big scary guys as well as the other big and scary guys. They look especially interested in this conversation.

"Oh." was all sex voice had to say.

"Yeah" I say short as I turn my head around as Patricia continues the discussion. Who does the guy think he is?

What a douche!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The nerve. I can't believe this guy. I normally consider myself a pretty easy going person. I only have one pet peeve… cutting me off. I was only trying to voice my opinion. If the guy actually let me talk, the argument wouldn't have even gone that far. What happened to-

"Did you just call me a douche?"

"Yep" I answer unashamed, popping the 'p'.

"Sorry" sexy douche voice interrupts my thoughts. Great. "That's kind of a sensitive subject for me."

There he goes… acting all sorry with his sexy voice expecting that I'll forgive him.

"Why? Are you a Political Science major or something?" I ask, annoyed.

"No. It just happens to be one of those things that get on my nerves" he admits.

"Wanna know one of my pet peeves… interrupting me when I'm speaking"

I hear a large sigh come from behind.

"I know I acted like a complete douche. It was very uncouth of me. Once again, I'm sorry. You're entitled to your opinion." He sounds sincere.

Shit. It's working. What was I mad at before?

"Thanks. I'm considering forgiving you." I say, turning around to here Patricia talk.

I hear a loud snicker come from Alec. I turn over to ask him is he okay..again. He only nods before chuckling to himself. What is his problem? He's weird.

"What's your major?" he asks.

"I'm not in college" I answer while taking notes. "I'm a junior… in high school" I admit as I blush slightly.

I just destroyed any chance I had with sexy voice.

"Wow." He says, surprised. "How'd you get in this class?" he asks. "I mean, I know you're good but this is a college course."

"My mom is an environmental lawyer. Apparently, she and Patricia share an intense love for the environment and all things green. That and my mom wants me to have an 'actual extra curricular activity that colleges would recognize'… as if a 3.8 GPA isn't enough." I add bitterly.

"Damn. Sounds like you aren't too pleased" he chuckles.

"Oh I was pissed at first." I laugh a little. "Actually, this class isn't so bad. I'm learning stuff. What's your major?"

"Oh, I'm not in college either" he laughs.

"Wow" I say in fake astonishment. "They'll let anyone in here. " I say.

"Here I am, thinking I'm special." He says matter of factly. Is he flirting?

"How'd you get in? I mean, this is a _college_ course" I smile, throwing his words back at him.

"Same as you" he laughs. "My parents pulled some strings."

"Damn" I giggle. "We are **so** privileged."

"Yep. It's kinda…"

"Okay, that's it guys." I hear Patricia drown out sexy voice's voice. "It's 7:00. Now, I want you to think long and hard about what we've talked about today. See you lovelies on Monday…on time" she finishes while looking directly at me. "Bella, may I see you after everyone leaves?" she asks, stressing the everyone. I nod my head and make my way down to the front of the class.

"Yes?" I ask. I hope I'm not in trouble. I haven't done anything… at least I don't think so.

"How are you liking the class so far?"

"It's good. It's nice to have a different perspective on different kinds of music." I say, honestly. From when I was paying attention, I really liked the material we discussed.

"That's nice. Your mom wants me to spy on you and report to her how you're doing." She admits. My eyebrows shoot up in shock. "She kept gushing to me about how talented you were so I opened up a spot for you. I must say, you didn't disappoint." She grins. " I'm anxious to see how you'll progress over the semester. You may even want to take the follow up class" she raises her eyebrows.

"Maybe" I say with a slight smile.

"I added your cell on the class's directory, in case someone needs to contact someone else for the class."

"Okay."

"Well, that's all I wanted to say. You know class starts at 5. Be on time." I laugh and assure her that I'll try. "Oh" she adds quickly as I reach the doorway. "Try to resist the Cub next class and pay a _little_ more attention. I'd hate to have to move you."

She laughs. I blush.

"I'll try" I say, bashfully and make my way out of the building and start walking t my car.

It had gotten dark out since I came to the class and I had to park a little ways out. I make sure I have all of my things and start to listening to my iPod to pass the time on my journey. As I was walking, I couldn't help but have this feeling like I was being followed. In true horror movie fashion, I stop walking and make an exaggerated turn to see if anyone is behind me. I don't see anyone. I must be getting paranoid. Maybe it's because it's dark and I'm walking by myself. That's not good. I start to walk faster. When I get in eyesight of my car, I jog the rest of the way, thinking that if I had to I could turn it into a full scale run. I feel a heavenly sense of sanctuary as I close my car door behind me and start to drive away. Next time, I'm getting here early- even if it's only to get a better parking space. I hear my phone ring, signaling that I had a message.

Unknown: You really were great.

 **Bella: Who is this?**

Unknown: Doucheface

 **Bella: Oh… thanks**

Unknown: You looked beautiful today

 _Swoon_. I didn't know what to say. I just sent a blushing emoticon as a reply. Then Iadded doucheface to my contact list.

God I hope it's not big scary guy.

As soon as I step foot in my house, I'm bombarded with questions about my class. I feel like I'm 5 years old again.

"How was it?"

"What is the teacher like?"

"What did you learn?"

"It was cool" I answer. "I actually liked it. The teacher is a crazy earth child type…eclectic. We talked about what artists use for inspiration." I say, satisfying everyone's questions.

"Okay" all three of them say. I notice my mom smile a little extra in victory as she starts to serve dinner. I'm surprised her cheeks haven't burst.

"You were right" I say humbly. "I actually enjoyed it."

"Thanks" she sighs in relief, wiping an invisible sweat drop from her forehead. "I don't think I would have been able to handle you if you thought it sucked." She laughs.

"I know" Angela laughs. "It would have been unbearable."

"Thank God for small miracles" dad laughs as he eats a disturbingly big bite of mashed potatoes.

"Bella, do you know what you're wearing for my law firm's banquet next week?"

Every year, the big wigs at my mom's firm host this party where all the lawyers parade their families around like prized show dogs. No one in my family likes going, but we have to. It's next Friday… I think.

"Yeah." No, I don't. I'll have to ask Rose.

After dinner, I went upstairs, did some homework and passed out on my bed.

The next morning was the same. I woke up late. Again. I had a quick breakfast. Again.

I arrived at Jacob's house and I was surprisingly on time. I mean, I was only two minutes early, but on time no less.

"Guys!" Jasper says, gathering attention. "Bella wrote a song that's hella awesome. It needs to be in our set on Tuesday."

"Really?" Paul says. "Cool."

"I didn't know you were writing again" Jake says.

I always go through what I like to call dry spells. Sometimes, I can write 3 songs in a week. Other times, I can even string a sentence together for months. It gets nerve wrecking.

"Yeah" I affirm. "Wanna hear it?"

"Uh…yeah?" Paul says, rolling his eyes. I flick a twizzler at him. Jake intercepted it with his mouth.

This time I have my guitar with me, so I can play when I sing. By the time I'm finished, I look at the guys and they're jaws are on the floor.

"Damn, lovergirl" Jake says, fluttering his eyes. "If I was straight, I would have just fallen in love with you." He laughs.

"Shuuuut up" I laugh.

"You gotta teach us the specs for the song, B" Paul says, getting behind the drums.

The rest of the practice, we practiced the new song and went over the other song we were planning on playing. As we were wrapping up, the guys asked about my class. I told them about the class. They laughed at the song I had to sing and the argument with the sexy douche voice.

"Sexy voice?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah. I know it sounds weird."

"So… you didn't see his face?" Paul asked. I shake my head 'no.'

"How mysterious" Jasper says sarcastically in his "Bella" voice, causing everyone to start laughing.

"Shut up" I order, folding my arms across my chest and turn around.

"It's your fault" Jake says, while laughing. "You shouldn't have told us about your voice porn"

"Voice porn?" I turn around shocked.

"Voice porn" the guys all say in unison. I flipped them off, putting an end to band practice.

On Monday, I got to school on time. I was shocked. I even got to homeroom in enough time to hear some meaningless gossip and rumors. I managed to only be tardy to one of my subjects that day… History. Other than that, the same stuff happened… verbal sparring with James and Victoria, Mike asking me out, me refusing Mike, and me dozing off in History, me picking up Hannah and dropping her off. It was a pretty solid day.

I ended up, getting to my class at 4:50. My luck continued when I was able to find a space in front of the building. After noticing that I had enough time, I went to the vending machine and got a Coke and a bag of Fritos. By the time I actually set foot in the class, it was 5:01.

Damn it. Missed it by a hair.

I make my way to my seat, as quietly as possible. Class hadn't actually started. I saw the majority of the class talking amongst themselves. Patricia eventually called the class to order.

"Hi, class"

"Hi Pat" we all say as a reply.

"I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Let's start off by asking, "does anyone have any news they'd like to share?"

I nervously raised my hand. I figured maybe one of them might want to come to the band's show. The class turns to me.

"Uh… my band is playing a show tomorrow at 8:00. You'd be welcome to come… if you wanted." I say awkwardly.

"You can tell us about it later, after class" she smiles and starts with the lesson.

We discussed the use of sampling music from other decades in music today. It was really cool. Some of the songs she mentioned I didn't even know were sampled.

As I'm taking notes, I notice Alec, the big scary guy, staring at me…again. Is he smiling? What is his deal?

"Hey" I hear a whisper from behind me. I turn around. I keep forgetting that a wall is there. I feel dumb. I hear sexy douche voice laugh. I blush.

"I keep forgetting that there isn't a row behind me" I shake my head in embarrassment. "How was your weekend?" I ask, while taking notes off the board.

"Boring. Yours?"

"Same. I spent most of it practicing." I say, lifting out of my seat trying to get a better peek at him. Are his eyes green?

"Where is it?"

"Hole in the Wall. It's this really eclectic bar downtown." I tell him as I sit down. My legs were starting to hurt.

"Oh" he says, sounding a little disappointed. "How old are you? Don't you have to be 18 to get in that club?" he asks.

"Yeah. I turned 17 in September. We have fake . It's okay"

"What?" he asks…shocked? Mad?

"What now?" I ask, slightly annoyed. This guy is a drama queen.

"Are you going to be drinking? I've heard about that club. It's not safe for someone like you." He tells me.

"Relax, dad" I say sarcastically. "They I.D.s aren't to make us 23, they're to make us 18. They're off by like 9 months" I laugh. "Besides, what kind of person am I anyway?" I ask, curiously.

"You just seem… fragile I guess. You could get hurt."

Fragile. FRAGILE? Are you serious? Who is this guy?

"You aren't giving me enough credit. I'm a lot less fragile than you think." I say, while taking notes.

"I don't think you should go. In fact, I advise against it."

"Oh, really?" I ask, with a little humor.

"Yeah." He affirms. "It's not safe for a girl like you. Does your mom even know you're going?" he asks.

He's grasping at straws

"What is with you?" I ask, irate. "You don't know me…"

"I know. It's just…"

"Stop interrupting me!" I whisper shout. I hear an audible hiss coming from big scary guy. Alec. "You don't get to tell me what to do. Okay? I get enough of that shit from my parents. I don't need it coming from some faceless entity. No one said you had to come anyway." I say, while turning around to focus on the lesson.

Over the course of the next hour, douche voice tried to get my attention. I ignored him. I didn't want him to get another chance to put his foot in his mouth. Once class was over, I told the rest of the class where our show was and made a mad dash out to my car. I desperately needed a nap.

I spent the rest of the night trying to figure out why I was so mad. I mean, douche voice seems nice… when he's not putting his foot in his mouth. It got me thinking. I bet he gets whatever he wants. That's probably why he gets so upset when I oppose his opinion. I bet he has a nice smile.

What? Where did that come from? Oh God. I have a crush on the faceless entity known as douchevoice. As I'm getting ready for bed, I see my phone flashing. I have

text.

 **Douchevoice: I'm sorry.**

Bella: It's okay.

I get a reply instantly

 **Douchevoice: Forgive me?**

Bella: Maybe. Just try not to tell me what to do again. LOL.

 **Douchevoice: Pet peeve #2?**

Bella: Correctamundo!

 **Douchevoice: LOL**

Are we flirting? Maybe. I am… a little. At least I think I am. This is so frustrating. I feel bold.

Bella: What's your name?

I wait a good 10 minutes for his reply. He's been pretty fast about replying to our texts so far. Why is it taking him so long? After another 5 minutes, I go to bed. I had a pretty big day tomorrow. As I slept, I kept having fantasies about what douchevoice looked like. What color was his hair? Was he fat? Skinny? Muscular? Lanky? There were so many possibilities.

I wake up ad just lay in bed. I look over to my mantle and notice my phone lighting up. I read another text. It arrived at 1 in the morning.

 **Douchevoice: It's Masen**

Hmmm. Masen. I don't know what to make of that name. It's cool. Maybe even sexy. I'll think about it later. I change the contact name from Douchevoice to Masen.

"BELLA!" I hear my dad call from downstairs. "It's 8:15!"

Shit.

"I'm up" I say as I shoot out of bed, gather some clothes. It was chilly outside, so I gathered a grey sweater with white stripes down the right side. All of my jeans were dirty so I was forced to wear a skirt. Rose will piss herself. I put a pair of grey leggings and grey sneakers and I'm ready.

By the time I get downstairs, It's 8:45. I decide to skip breakfast and jet straight to school. When I got to school, I sprinted to my class…just as the bell rang. My homeroom teacher came out to close the door, but she let me slide. I can't get number 29 today.

"Ms. Dawson" Victoria raises her hand. "Bella was late"

"By like 10 seconds" Ms. Dawson defends me. "Calm down"

"I think she should be sent to the tardy table" she says. "She should have to follow the rules like everyone else" Victoria argues.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't care what you think" I interrupt as I make my way to my seat.

"I think we can let this one slide, Victoria" Ms. Dawson giggles. I think I saw her roll her eyes as she turned around. I just gained some respect for her.

The class ends and I make my way to my Biology class. Rosalie takes her seat next to me.

"Guess what I just did?" she asks, gleaming with pride.

"What?" I ask.

"I sent out a mass text telling all the Jefferson High elite about Social Siberia's show. It's spreading like wild fire. It's going to be epic." She says lifting her hand up for a high five.

"What?" I ask. "Why?"

"Because… you rock. And people should witness your awesome triumph. You're going to smash the show tonight."

"Not if Victoria and her followers come and boo us off the stage" That is something she'd do.

"Please" Rose scoffs. "She may be a bitch to you, but Victoria is scared shitless of me. She knows I'd kick her ass if she tried anything" she rolls her eyes. "Now, what do you say?"

"Thank you" I say, flatly.

Throughout the rest of the day, all I could think about was what was going to happen today. I knew our set would be good. At least I think it will be. I mean, who thinks they're going to suck? I was cool playing at a bar I thought no one we knew would see us. That way, if we tanked no one would know. Now, I feel like I'm placing myself even further on display. It had me on the edge for the rest of the day.

I picked Angela up from school. Today, she seemed like she'd had a better day.

"Good day?" I ask.

"Yeah" she laughed, loudly.

"What happened?"

"Today in science class Melissa sneezed and farted at the same time… hilarious. It made my day." She laughs. I join her. Normally, I'd be embarrassed for the kid. However, she's teased my sister so I show her no sympathy.

We arrive home and I notice that my parents' cars are already in the driveway. That's weird. Angela runs inside the house and I get our stuff from the back and head inside. As I walk into the house I see dry cleaner hangers hanging on the banister and Angela's eyes look over to me dramatically like she's trying to tell me something.

"Bella, you're here" my mom shouts dramatically, rushing over to me. "Show me what you've picked out for the banquet." She orders. "I should have done this on Friday." She says to herself.

You've got to be shitting me. That's tonight! It's been on a Friday for the past 6 years and they choose to move it when I actually have something better to do? FML!

"Wha.."

"Owww!" I hear Angela moan, clutching her stomach.

"Oh my God!" mom says, walking over to Angela. "What's wrong baby?"

"My stomach hurts" she says. "I don't feel good" she scrunches up her face.

Mom feels her face and makes a sympathetic sound.

"Honey, you're burning up" she says. "How long have you felt like this?"

"Since lunch. We had tuna surprise. I guess the surprise was that it was rancid." She growls and makes a nauseous face.

"Why didn't you call home?"

"I didn't want to miss any school." She says, resting her head on mom's shoulder. "And I didn't want you to miss work"

Mom feels Angela's head again and shakes her head. "You aren't going anywhere tonight. I don't want you to get sick" She says as she takes Angela upstairs.

I sit downstairs and wonder how in the Hell I'm going to get out of going to this damn party. I can't cancel on the guys. This is a big show. Plus, I can only imagine what the kids from school would do. This day has not been good.

"Bella, come upstairs" mom orders. I slowly walk upstairs, dreading the inevitable argument that is about to ensue.

"I can't find a sitter this late. You're going to have to watch your sister for the night."

"Mom, Social Siberia has a gig tonight" I admit.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to miss it." She says.

"But, it's our first big gig. Can't you at least try to find a sitter?" I plead.

"I'm not going to leave a stranger with my child so you can go play, Bella. I don't trust anyone with my children."

"But, you said…"

"Your father and I said that you could stay in the band as long as it doesn't interfere with other important matters. Your sister's health and safety is an important matter." She points. "It's not my intention to squash your dream. Okay. But, I can't leave her here alone. She's nine!"

"But you aren't even trying to find another alternative!"

"I don't need one. Stop being selfish!" she shouts.

"Ladies" my dad interferes. "Calm down" he adds stepping in between us.

"Dad" I start.

"Bella. We're sorry. But you're staying here tonight. There will be other opportunities. What did I say earlier? If it's meant to happen, it'll happen."

"Fine" I give in.

"I'm sorry, Bella" Angela says, as she steps into the hallway wearing her pajamas.

"It's okay, pint" I say.

I'm out of energy. I go to my room and take a short nap. The show doesn't start until 9. So I can sleep for about an hour before I have to make the shitty phone call. The guys are going to be pissed. I go to sleep fighting the angry tears pooling out of my eyes. This is my life.

"Bella" I hear Angela's voice, followed her shaking me violently. God I hope she isn't going to vomit on me. "Wake up. Mom and Dad are gone."

"Yeah" I shoot up, blocking my face. "Are you okay? Are you going to be sick?"

Angela starts laughing. "Uh…no. You bought that?"

"Bought what?"

"I wasn't sick"

"What?"

"I. Wasn't Sick" she enunciates. "I faked it. I knew that mom and dad wouldn't be able to find a sitter and they'd ask you to take care of me. The sick child routine has a lot of uses."

"How did you fake that fever?"

" I drank two cups of warm water and put a hot towel on my face." She says matter of factly. I look at her in awe. "You're welcome."

What did I tell you? Genius.

"Well, who's going to watch you?"

"I'm coming with you. You didn't think I'd stay behind do you?" she laughs.

"You're an evil genius" I laugh ad check the clock. It's 7:30.

"Come on" I tell Angela. "We gotta get ready."

"That's why I woke you up" she rolls her eyes.

As I take my shower, I try my best to calm my nerves. I put on a red shirt, some blue jeans and white chuck taylors. Angela wears a black t shirt, black jeans and black boots.

"You look cool" I tell her.

"Thanks. You too"

I pull up outside of Hole in the Wall and am greeted by Rose and several shopping bags.

"No" I say, walking past her.

"Please?" Rose asks. "I saw it and I had to get if for you. It's cute."

"Is it too girly?" I ask.

"Does it matter?" she retorts. That means yes. "You're gonna look hot. Now shut up and let me work my magic." She orders and drags me and Angela into the bathroom.

I look at the outfit and cringe. It's a black dress with a sweetheart neckline. It's short in the front and slightly longer in the back with ruffles on the ass. It also has a low cut back. We had to use double sided tape to ensure no wardrobe malfunctions. She then made me wear black fishnet tights with knee length black boots.

Next, she did my hair and makeup. She did Angela's too. By the time she was finished, my hair looked thick and curly.

"You look hot, Bella" Angela gushes.

"My little vampiress" Rose says, wiping off a fake tear. "Why don't you let me dress you more often?"

"Because I value our friendship" I giggle, rolling our eyes.

"You're gonna have to let that go" she rolls her eyes in retaliation. "You're already so pr…"

A loud beeping noise from my phone interrupts our conversation. I try to hide my excitement. Maybe it's douche… I mean Masen.

"ooh" Rose says as she grabs my phone and runs to the other side of the bathroom. "Who has you so excited?" she asks, looking at the screen. "Who is Masen?" she asks.

"Just some guy from my class" I answer.

"Voice porn guy?"

"Jasper told you" I shake my head in shame.

"Yeah… mysterious" she giggles. I take her momentary distraction to grab my phone.

Masen: Good luck on your show. You probably won't need it.

 **Bella: Thanks**

"Ooh" Angela teases, joining Rose in torturing me.

"I'm not staying here for this" I say as I walk backstage with the rest of the guys.

"Woah. oh. oh" Jasper says looking up from his guitar. "Bella"

"Shut up"

"Looking good, Bella. If I wasn't dating Leah and scared of her..." Paul starts, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Whatever"

"Guys…" Jacob starts of a looks away like he's listening to something.

"What?" Jasper asks.

"I just turned straight" he laughs.

"Ugh!" I grab my hair in frustration

"Face it Bella" Rose says. "You're a hot bitch…always have been"

Our conversation is cut short by the club owner, Quentin walking in.

"Okay, guys" he says, as he looks me and Rose up and down… at the same time. Sketchy. "The other band is playing. We have a pretty full list tonight. You guys get 12 minutes. That's about 3 songs, give or take a couple seconds. Can you…handle it?" he finished with an exaggerated look in my direction.

Damn Rose and this outfit.

"Yeah" Jasper says.

"You got 5 minutes. Don't fuck up" he says, leaving the room.

"This is it" Paul says, excitedly as he begins to twirl his drumsticks around in a fast motion.

"I'm so pumped!" Jake says, tuning his bass.

The guys' energy starts to rub off on me.

"Yeah" I say.

Those five minutes pass by quickly. Next thing I know I hear Quinton introducing us.

"Okay, settle down assholes!" he says. "This next act claims to rock. Tonight, you guys be the judge. But I tell you guys the lead singer is one HOT PIECE OF ASS!" he yells. I hear guys in the audience howling. "Even if they suck, at least we'll have something pretty to look at." He adds. "Ladies and Gentlemen…SOCIAL SIBERIA" he finishes and we head out on stage.

I walk up to the mike and see a wide array of people, most with tattoos and piercings. Rose and Angela are sitting at a table in the front row. Patricia waves at me and gives me a thumbs up. I also notice that half of Jefferson High is in attendance. Do they all have fake I.D.s ? James, Victoria, Mike, Jessica, Lauren as well as the majority sport players and cheerleaders… oh God.

"Wow!" I hear a high pitched voice that sounds like it doesn't belong here. I hear a "She is gorgeous! Good job!" followed by a familiar sounding, "Shut the Hell up!" I then heard a loud booming laugh. It sounded like it came from a big guy.

Is Masen here? I look around. He's here. I know he's here. It's like I can feel him. It's weird. He could be anybody. It sounded like it came from the back. I look to my right and see big, scary guy staring right at me. Oh God.

"B" Jasper calls. "It's showtime" I nod my head in agreement.

"Quentin" I hear a creepy guy yell. "You weren't lying." He shouts causing another all guy yell.

"Hey" I say into the mike. "How are y'all doin tonight?" The crowd cheers in response. "We're Social Siberia and we're gonna play…"

"Shut up and play" I hear Victoria shout causing her flunkies to laugh.

"Fuck you Victoria!" I yell, causing the crowd to shout.

"1,2,3,4" Paul counts off.

 _Hot kiss won't you tell me what you miss boy_

 _Blind love you got me spinning like a wind up toy_

 _Hot kiss won't you tell me what you miss boy_

 _Blind love you got me spinning like a wind up toy_

"That song was called Hot Kiss. I co wrote it with the oh so sexy drummer Jacob Black" I say as I point to Jacob. The girls go crazy. I laugh on the inside.

"I think the male guitarist is HOTT!" I hear the high pitched voice again. "Ouch!" she yells. "Stop pinching me!" I hear a short pause. "I am not embarrassing you!"

Okay

"This next song is called Black Sheep" I say and Jacob starts the intro.

 _Black sheep, come home_

 _Black sheep, come home_

 _Black sheep, come home_

 _Hello again, friend of a friend_

 _I knew you when_

 _Our common goal was waiting for the world to end_

 _Now that the truth is just a rule that you can bend_

 _You crack the whip_

 _Shape-shift and trick_

 _The past again_

 _I'll send you my love on a wire_

 _Light you up every time_

 _Everyone, ooh_

 _Pulls away, ooh_

 _From you_

After the song is finished, I look around to see the crowd rocking out. It's an awesome feeling.

look around to see if I can find a familiar pair of eyes. I come up short.

"Well, that's all folks" I say. "Thanks for coming out and hearing us play. To all of my classmates, thanks for coming…even if you thought we'd suck. Also, thanks to my music classmates as well Pat, Alec…Masen. It means a lot that you came." We bow and exit the stage.

"Awww" high pitch voice squeals. I hear the booming laugh again. "Ouch! I'm kicking your ass when we get back home." I hear another pause. "And you…stop laughing at everything"

"God, that was awesome!" Jasper yells as we get backstage, picking me up and

twirling me around.

"You guys rocked" Rose says.

"and rolled" Angela adds, giggling.

We stayed backstage for another 30 minutes. I changed out of my costume and lounged around. It felt like a huge weight was off of my shoulders. By looking around at the guys, I think they felt that same way too.

Eventually, I loaded Angela and myself in the car. Before I could pull off, my phone buzzed…again.

 **Masen: You guys rocked.**

Bella: And no one got hurt

 **Masen: Ha Ha Ha (did you detect my sarcasm)**

Bella: Thanks for coming

 **Masen: You're welcome. Thanks for the shout out.**

Bella: You're welcome. C ya 2morrow.

 **Masen: Looking forward to it. Bye**

Bella: Bye

I smile as I hit reply. He came to my show. I wonder if I saw him. Did he really like it? This whole situation is crazy. I start to make my way home when I hear my phone buzz… repeatedly. I wait until I get to a stoplight to check it. My smile drops when I see who it's from.

 **Mom: I know where you are. Come home. Now!**

Shit


	4. Chapter 4

Ch.4- The Worse Day Ever

Oh dear. This is not good.

"Shit" I mutter under my breath, shocking Angela out of her sleep.

"What?" she asks, turning over to get more comfortable.

"I just got a text from Mom" she shoots up and looks in my direction. "The jig is up." I say with a slight giggle.

Sometimes, you have to laugh to keep from crying.

"Man" she shakes her head. "I forgot to take into account they'd come back early to check on me because they think I'm sick. I'm sorry. It's all my fault." She looks at me, shaking her head in self shame.

"It's fine" I ruffle her hair. "I was bound to get into trouble sooner or later. At least I got to have fun first."

We sit in silence, waiting for the inevitable shit storm that is about to happen. It seems as though time slowed down once I pulled into the driveway of my house. It was passed 12 o'clock so I knew I'd be in trouble for that too.

"Duh Duh Duuun" I say dramatically, as me and Angela exit the car. I see Mom look out of the curtains in the front room. Her fury vein is out for all to see.

Shit. It's worse than I thought. Like all mothers, and human beings for that matter, she gets mad. However, there are only a few instances when "the vein" has made its appearance. It never means anything good.

Before I can get my key in the door, my mom opens it. I step inside, awkwardly. Here we go. The four of us sit in silence. It's like we're reenacting our own version of the cold war in our living room. We just stand in silence for what God knows how long.

"Bella," she starts. "What… in the Hell were you thinking?" she asks, her face reddening with anger.

"I just wanted…"

"Oh…" she pauses. "I know what you wanted. You wanted to deliberately disobey my instructions. That's what you wanted."

If I weren't scared shitless, I would have giggled at her The Lion King inspired explanation. I didn't. I'm not stupid.

"Mom"

"I cannot believe that you carried your sick sister to a bar downtown to play when we specifically told you that you couldn't go." Dad says, shaking his head.

"Mom. Dad. I wasn't…" Angela starts.

"Angela" I say sternly, signaling her to shut up.

"Go upstairs, Honey" mom says, never taking her eyes off of me. I slightly nod my head and Angela slowly walks upstairs.

At this point, Angela confessing wouldn't do anything to help me. I **did** break the rules. The only thing it would do would get her in trouble too. If I could spare her, I would.

"I'm sorry." I say. I figure that if I cop a plea and admit to some wrong doing that the punishment will be easier and I'll negotiate later after they've cooled down. There is no reasoning with them when they're this mad. "I shouldn't have done that."

At this point, my mom sits down with my father next to her. They share a long look at each other followed by an exaggerated sigh.

"We can't keep going down this road with you, Bella" Dad says, putting his face in his hands. "Do you have any idea how worried we were? Anything could have happened to your sister. She may act mature but she is still a child. She had no business being there."

He was right.

"I'm sorry." I repeat. "It's just… we practiced so hard. I couldn't let it go to waste. We weren't gone that long. We would have been out that long had we went to the banquet anyway. I don't understand the bid deal." I reasoned.

"The big deal isn't that you played. It's that you purposefully went against our wishes and put your sister in danger during the process. Anything could have happened."

"But nothing did"

"It still could have" my dad interrupts. "Look. We aren't here to argue. We're here to discuss your punishment." He looks at my mom and she nods he head and turns to me.

"You can't drive your car until further notice. Plus, you're quitting the band" mom says.

"What?" I shout. "No. No way. Not doing it."

"Yes. You are. No negotiations" she continues.

Uh oh. She's using her lawyer saying. My mom never settles in court. It's her way or the highway. You don't get to be feared for nothing.

"That's not fair" I shout.

"You're still going to your classes. I'm not going to let $15,000 got o waste."

"Are you serious? You can't make me quit. I won't do it."

"Yes you will. You've reached 28 tardies. You're gonna get suspended by the end of the week. Bella, we've been very tolerant of your hobby but now it's time to stop. You can still have your music thing as long as it's structured."

"That's not fair." I start. I give up trying t keep my eyes dry at this moment. "It's not a hobby. Why can't you guys see that? I'm sorry that I don't want to be an author or a lawyer. I love music and my band." I pause momentarily. I see my mom about to open her mouth. "Mom, you have your fierce law thing. Dad has his whole hard ass cop deal. Angela has her smarts. Music is my thing. I know it's not conventional. Is it **so** bad to want something that's just mine? Something that I'm good at that I enjoy?"

"Maybe if you didn't snea…"

"Have you thought that maybe I wouldn't need to sneak around if you were more supportive?" I ask, anticipating what her response would be.

"This isn't some…"

"Save it!" I interrupt. "I don't have time for this shit" I say going upstairs to my room in the attic.

From then on, I remember some shouting and "don't walk away from me" orders. I didn't really listen after I said my piece. I do remember slamming the door in my dad's face when he followed me though. I hear a buzzing noise.

Masen: Did you get home okay?

 **Bella: Yeah. Unfortunately**

Masen: What happened?

 **Bella: Mom and Dad weren't too pleased. Major fallout. Let's just say that.**

I get changed and head to bed. I hear my phone ringing. It's Rose.

"Guess what?" she asks, excitedly.

"What?" I deadpan

"Everyone is texting me about how awesome you were tonight." She beams. "I may

have even heard the term 'fuck hot' a couple of times. Really Bella you should let me dress you more."

From then on, I hear her talk about some trip she's taking and how excited she is to dress up for it. I don't really pay attention. I just listen.

"Whatever" I deadpan again. I can hear the "I don't give a fuck" draining out of my voice as I'm talking and my voice begins to crack.

"What's wrong? Have you been crying?"

I don't say anything. We sit on the phone until my tears and sobs break the silence.

"Spill" she orders.

I do. I tell her everything. About the banquet. Angela. The argument. The punishment.

"Damn" she says. "What's gonna happen with the guys?"

"No clue" I answer honestly. "I'll have to tell them tomorrow."

"It'll get better" Rose says. "When parents try to control your life, it's their way of showing they give a shit."

"I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow" I say, tired. All of my energy is gone.

From that moment on, I cry until my pillow is soaked. After I go to sleep I keep having a nightmare that I'm a fat 40 year old woman with a desk job. It was horrible. Next, I wake up to a literal slap in the face.

"Rose?" I ask. I look at the clock and see that it's 6:00 in the morning. How did she get in my house?

"Wake up" she orders. She's still in her pajamas. "We have to get you ready." She grins while shaking a garment bag.

"Why?" I ask, turning over to the other side of the bed.

"The fieldtrip is today. And since you don't have a car, I have to drive you. Now get your ass up"

"What fieldtrip?" I ask. I am genuinely confused at this point. "I don't remember any field trip."

"That's because I had to forge your permission slip and turn it in when you were late…again"

"Oh" That sounds right. "Thanks"

"You can thank me by getting your ass in the shower. I'm getting ready here. I took one before I left."

"Fine" I hiss as I pull my tired body out of the bed.

Once I get back from my shower, Rose attacks me with a blow dryer and flat iron and starts doing my hair. Once that was done, we argued for a good 15 minutes on whether or not I needed makeup. She won. I'm tired of arguing. It takes a lot out of you. Then, Rose got ready. She was wearing a pink dress with ruffles and a black satin bow around the waist (pic on profile). It was cute, if you're into the whole "girly girl thing." Then she showed me what she wanted me to wear.

"Rose. Are you serious?"

"Yes. You have to be dressed up to get on the bus. You can't wear your usual "fuck the world" get up today. It's not that bad."

"But…"

"Do you have anything else to wear?"

"No"

"Then you're out of luck. If you went shopping with me, maybe you'd have something dressy that you like" she smirks.

"Double burn. Nice" I say as I look at the outfit another time.

It's one of those dresses that look like someone tucked a wife beater under a skirt. It's white with black polka dots. She pairs it with a pair of black heels with jewels on them and matching accessories **(pic on profile** ). It's not the bad. Rose could have done worse.

Finally, I concede and put on the damn dress. Like I said before, I'm tired of arguing with people. By the time we're both ready, It's 8:30.

"Damn" Rose smirks. "We look hot" she says, while looking at us in the mirror.

We go downstairs and you can still feel the tension from last night.

"Morning" mom says.

"Mhmm" I reply as I grab a breakfast bar and gather my bookbag. "Ready Rose?"

"Okay" she says, following me out the door. "Damn. It's worse than you described."

"I'm just… so sick of their 'my way or the highway' bullshit. I'm over it."

We walk to Rose's BMW. Whenever I look at it, I sit in awe. How did Rose manage to get her parents to buy her a new 2010 BMW M6 convertible (pic on profile). Fully loaded. Then again, it's not that surprising. Rose's parents are rich as Hell.

You think **I'm** spoiled

When we make it to school, I notice everyone staring at me. It feels awkward. I immediately cover my chest, suddenly feeling exposed.

"Woah. Bella" Jasper says, appearing out of nowhere. "You aren't trying to go all plastic on me now? Are you?" he laughs.

"Shut up. You're wearing Dockers" I say, punching him in the side. He laughs.

We check in with my History teacher and sit in line waiting to load onto the bus. I learn that there is an American Art exhibit centered around the eras from the different war periods in the country's history. Later, we find out that the French students are going to a French art exhibit and out to a French restaurant. The History class gets to tag along. We'll be gone most of the day.

"Isn't Sweet Tooth over there?" Jasper asks.

"I think so" I answer.

Sweet Tooth is this world famous ice cream shop. I've only been there one time, but it made an impression. Their flavors are too awesome to put into words. If Willy Wonka were a real person, he's probably would have invented Sweet Tooth.

"I wonder if they'll let us get some on the way back."

"I hope so" I ask, licking my lips. I love it. My parents don't buy it often because my dad and Angela are lactose intolerant. Therefore, I don't get to have it much.

Damn. Now I want some ice cream.

Finally, after checking roll, we're put into partners. We'll have to work together and write a paper on at least two of the pieces and how they fit into what we're talking about in class. We were going in alphabetical order so Jasper and Rose got to be paired together. I got Jessica Stanley. Shit. This is shaping up to be a wonderful day.

I go to stand by here and she acts as though she's repulsed by my presence. I'm not too fond of her either.

"Hey Bella" Mike says, perving me up and down. I squirm under his gaze. "You look sexy today. And last night…wow."

I nod awkwardly. I don't know what to say to that skeezy comment. Jessica rolls her eyes.

It's no secret that Jessica Stanley is in love with Mike Newton. Everyone knows…except Mike. It is also not a secret that Mike likes me. Mike doesn't like Jessica. I don't like Mike. It's a vicious circle. Jessica is jealous. She thinks I'm stepping on her turf, when in fact, I'm trying to get as far away from it as possible.

"Oh my God" she whispers, loudly shaking her head. "I can't believe I'm paired with this loser."

"I'm not too pleased about working with someone who has the mental capacity of a 2nd grader. So, I guess we're both screwed." I snap. She huffs and dramatically turns her head away from me. Drama queen.

Again, because of alphabetical order, Rose and Jasper are seated on a different bus than I am. So, I ride in complete silence while listening to my iPod, ignoring Jessica's glare and Mike's obvious ogling of me from the front of the bus.

After a 30 minute awkward bus ride, we arrive at the museum. As I get to the stairs to make my exit, I feel something. Honestly, it felt like a foot. Somebody tripped me. I lose my balance and fall out of the bus onto the ground. The crowd in front of the bus, which included kids from other schools, erupt into laughter. Great.

Like the perv he is, Mike takes the opportunity to "help" me by dusting me off, paying more attention to my ass than I'd like.

"Thanks" I mumble as I push him off.

Out of curiosity, I look behind me to see Jessica, James and Victoria behind me smirking. Anyone could have done it.

I hate all of them

"That's a good way to start off the day" James laughs to Victoria, as they walk away.

Wow. Two of the people who hate me the most are paired up to work together. Brilliant.

I get a text from Rose

Rose: Did you fall out of the bus?

 **Bella: Yep. Unfortunately.**

Rose: Damn. Everyone is talking about it.

What? Rose's bus wasn't even here. Damn. Bad news travels fast.

 **Bella: It isn't the worse thing to have happened to me this week.**

Rose: Point

After Rose's bus arrives, we're given our assignment and allow us to enter the part of the museum that is showing the exhibit. I look around for Rose or Jasper but I can't see them. After 10 minutes of Jessica's bitching, I decide to go on and start looking at paintings.

Working on an academic assignment with Jessica was like trying to herd cats. Impossible and useless. Everytime I asked her opinion on something, she'd say "I don't know." How can you not have an opinion on _anything_? Wait. This is Jessica. She can't think. I think that this may be Ms. Patterson is punishing me for being late all the time and not paying attention. Just as I was about to ring her neck, I get a text.

 **Masen: Hey!**

Bella: Hi! What u doing?

 **Masen: School. U?**

Bella: Same. Not really though. I'm on a field trip.

 **Masen: Sweet**

Bella: Not really. My partner is an idiot. I'm gonna have to do it myself to get a decent grade.

 **Masen: Damn. Sorry. You haven't been having a good day have you?**

Bella: No. At least I'll get some good ice cream out of the deal.

 **Masen: That makes everything better.**

Bella: Talking to you (figuratively) makes it better. Ice cream is a temporary fix.

I smile. When did I get so bold? Maybe it's the fact that I don't know what he looks like.

 **Masen: I'm glad I can make you feel better. I'm looking forward to seeing you at music class today.**

Bella: I look forward to hearing you.

 **Masen: LOL**

Bella: Am I ever going to get to see you?

I wish that I knew what he looked like. It would be nice to put a face to the voice.

 **Masen: Maybe. I gotta keep the mystique. I don't want you to lose interest.**

Before I could type a reply, I hear Ms. Patterson yelling my name.

"Bella, get off your phone and focus on your assignment like Ms. Stanley." She scolds.

Seriously? I won't even say anything about that.

"Sorry" I apologize.

Bella: Gotta go. Teacher. Hear u later.

 **Masen: I understand. Later**

Sigh. I blush.

"Who were you texting?" Jessica asks, leaning over my phone trying to see.

"None of your business" I say, putting my phone back in my purse.

"Whatever" she huffs. "I'm bored."

She's starting to get on my nerves more than usual.

"You know what? Let's split up. Meet me in the front when it's time for us to leave to go to the restaurant." I tell her. I feel like I'm tempting fate by being around her this long.

"Fine" she states, practically running away from me, probably in order to find "cooler" people to hang out with.

As soon as she leaves, I walk around the museum trying to find something that I find remotely interesting. I figure that a lot of people are going to pick something cliché like Washington crossing the Delaware River or something. I wanted to be original. I wonder around for an hour, listening to my iPod and looking. Out of nowhere, I see a picture of a woman dressed up like George Washington (pic on profile). I thought it was different. It was one of the few that I liked. I decided that I'd use it along with a Rosie the Riveter ad (pic on profile) I saw and do my paper on the progression of women's rights and their role in the U.S. It would be different.

Satisfied with my idea, I wrote down the names of the pictures I wanted to use and sat down and people watched. I looked at my watch and saw that I had 20 minutes left. Well into my people watching, I had to go pee so I went to the restroom. I come out to see Mike standing in front of the door.

"Hi Bella" he says, sauntering over to me. I lose the fight to not roll my eyes and begin walking back to where I was sitting. He follows.

"Hi Mike"

"You look hot today. You should dress normal more often." Wow.

"Thanks…I guess." I nod my head at his backhanded compliment. That was like a slap with a velvet glove. Knowing him, he thought it was being nice. Tool.

"You wanna go out this Friday?" he asks.

"No" I say with the straightest face I can imagine. "Why?"

"Because I'm not interested" I say. When will this guy get the hint? "Can we stop playing this game, Bella?"

"What game" I ask. I'm pretty sure people can hear my eyes rolling at this point. "This whole 'I don't like you game'"

"It's not a game" I say, picking up my pace. He grabs my arm.

"Fine." He says. "I'll stop asking you out." I smile in victory. Finally something good is coming out of this day. Next… ice cream.

"Than…"

"On one condition" he adds, interrupting me. I spoke too soon. "What?"

"Kiss me."

"Really?" I laugh at his request.

"Yes. Kiss me. Prove to me that you don't have feelings for me." he taunts. "I don't have to prove shit" I say.

Mike smiles. "Because we both know that deep down inside you like me."

"No. That's not it."

"Prove it. I mean it. One kiss and I'll leave you alone forever."

I weigh my options. Mike has been a pain in my ass since Kindergarten. He graduated from following me around teasing me to following me around asking me out and all around annoying me with his pervy ways. So, when you think of it that way, it's a pretty sweet deal. One peck won't hurt anybody. I'm pretty sure I'll have to gargle with bleach when I get home, but not having Newton pester me everyday would definitely be worth it. That **and** ice cream? This day is turning around.

"Fuck it" I say. I grab Newton by his neck and place a kiss on his lips. A horribly uncomfortable kiss. Just lip on lip. No tongue. Less than a second. Mike stands there dazed with his eyes open. Mission accomplished. I have a brief daydream of a Mike free high school experience. I'm pleased. "See. Nothi…"

Before I could finish my sentence, Mike threads his hands through my hair and pulls me to his lips. I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off. Apparently he took that as in invitation to French kiss me and then proceeds to force his tongue down my throat. Gag. I push his shoulders away from me only to have him move his perverted mouth to my neck.

"Mike. Oh my God!" I shout. "Stop!" I try my hardest to push him off me, but he's too strong. He moved his free hand to my back and squeezes my ass, pushing me into his pelvic region. Is he hard? Shit. This was a mistake. As a last resort, I bend my knee back as far as it will go and shove it right in his balls. He stops to hover and grab his injury.

I turn around to straighten my clothes go back to where I came from, only to find Jessica standing in the entryway with her eyes big and her mouth open glaring at me.

"O.M.F.G" she whispers staring at me and Mike. "Wow" she adds, while slowly backing away and going somewhere.

I look at the clock and realize that I have 10 minutes to get to the front. As I make my way back to the front door, I realize that I forgot my purse. I can't lose it. It has my license, phone, wallet and my iPod in there. It's practically my life. I race back to the bathroom to look for it. I can't find it. Before I start to freak out, I ask an employee where the lost & found is. I race over and give a description of my bag. Thank God for good Samaritans because someone turned it in. After checking to see of everything is still in my bag. I make my way to the front.

I don't see my bus. I don't see Rose and Jasper's bus either. Shit.

I check my watch to see that I'm 15 minutes late because of my purse. Of all the days and times to be late, this is not the wrong one. I check inside and my suspicions are correct. I got left by the buses. Both of them.

I know a common phrase is "shit happens." However, today, I feel that all the shit is only happening to me. I'm pretty sure that the school will call my mom and I'll get in trouble. Plus, this will probably count as my 30th tardy. Triple shit!

Now, I'm stranded at the museum that is a good 30 minutes away from school.

Plus, the worst part of this whole thing is that I won't be able to get ice cream now. Quadruple Shit!

I hear my phone ring. Rose.

"Hello" I say.

"Is it true?" Rose asks.

"Is what true?"

"Did you make out with Mike Newton and let him feel you up?"

"What?" I yell in the bus lane at the museum. People look at me like I'm crazy. Perhaps I am.

"Jessica Stanley sent a mass text that says you got to second base with Newton. It says that you two were texting and you two went off to go fool around and she caught you. Lauren Mallory told me that she told her that you were screaming his name and everything. Of course, Newton is eating up the attention."

Shit.

"No. That's not what happened. I mean, I kissed him…"

"You what?"

"Let me finish" I order. "He said that…"

 _Beep! Beep!_ My phone sounds and the signal drops. I take my phone from my ear and look to find that my battery has died and my phone is now useless.

"Figures" I scoff. This would happen to me. At least today. Now, I can't tell Rose what really happened.

Pentagon Shit!

At this point, I weigh my options. Again. Since I'm probably going to get suspended for being tardy and get in trouble at home, again, for being tardy and getting suspended from school, where everyone now thinks that I'm Mike Newton's ho, why go back to school?

"Fuck this shit" I say to no one in particular. I'm going home. I've had a pretty shitty day.

The museum is a surprisingly busy place. Thankfully, I'm able to get a cab. The bad news is that I only have $30 on me. At the $20 mark, I have him drop me off at the train station. When I get on the train, I sit in a car with a woman only wearing a long t shirt and some knee high converse who sat next a man who smelled like taco meat and kept asking me what time my legs opened.

Once I get off the train, I only have $7 left. I see a homeless man on the side of the building.

"Miss?" he asks. "Do you have some change?"

At this point, I've been having perhaps the shittiest day in the history of mankind. So, if I could make this guy's day better, I would.

"Sure" I say as I give him $2 before I board the bus. I sit on the bus for about 20 minutes before I get off. From then on, I have to walk for another 10 or 15 minutes to my house. In 4 inch heels. Hexagon shit!

Finally, I make it into my house. As soon as I close the door, I get on my knees and kiss the floor. Then I take my shoes off because they hurt like Hell. I take my phone and put it on the charger. As soon as it turns on I see that I have 10 missed texts and 8 missed phone calls. 2 calls are from my Mom. I guess she got wind of my absence. The rest are from either Rose or Jasper. I decide to call Rose.

"Bella?" she answers the phone, sniffling. "Where are you?"

"Rose? What happened?" I ask. For Rose to be crying, it has to be bad.

"J-James and V-V-V" she stutters into the phone. I hear Jasper's voice in the background.

"Bella?" Jasper asks. "Can you come to and get us La Chumiere?"

"What happened?" I ask.

"Rose refused to get on the bus. We'll talk about it when you get here. Can you just come?" he asks.

"Fine" I say, as I hang up the phone.

I put back on the death traps and head towards the door when I realized something. There was only one way I could get them. I'd have to steal my car back. This morning, my mom took my keys. I know she puts stuff she doesn't want us to have in her panty drawer. I just don't want anything that bad to go in there and get it. However, Jasper and Rose needed my help. Besides, hounding me to go shopping with her, Rose never really asks me for anything. She seemed so upset. I have to help them.

I'm gonna be grounded for the considerable future anyway. I might as well go for broke. Now I know how fugitives on a crime spree feel.

I go upstairs and get my keys out of my mom's lingerie drawer. That alone will haunt me for the rest of my life. I race outside to my car and start my engine. Oh how I missed that sound this morning. They'll probably sell it after they find out what happened today. So, I decide to open it up one last time.

I race down the street thinking if I make it back before 6, maybe I can put the keys back and my mom won't know I took the car out. That way…

Woop! Woop! I hear before I see blue and white flashing lights in my rear view.

"Fuck!" I shout as I bang my left hand against the steering wheel while my right hand reaches for my registration and proof of insurance.

After I get my speeding ticket, I drove, slowly, to the restaurant. It took me 40 minutes to get there. But I was scared I'd get another speeding ticket so I drove the actual speed limit. Plus, there was a traffic jam on the highway.

Finally, I pull up outside the restaurant to see Rose ad Jasper sitting on a bench outside. Rose's makeup is running down her face and Jasper is holding her. She looks so sad. They notice my car and head in. Rose sits in the passenger seat and Jasper gets in the back. As soon as the doors close, I hug Rose.

"What happened?" I ask.

"At the restaurant, when we were waiting on the food, James got up to go somewhere. I sit and wait for him and start talking to Jasper and some people from class. So, the food comes and James still isn't there. Desert comes and James still isn't there. So, everyone goes outside to board the buses and Ms. Patterson caught James and Victoria Hawthorne having sex in the back of the bus." She ends before bursting into tears. "And everyone knows. I'm so humiliated." She starts again. Jasper scoots to the middle of the seat and starts to hug her with me.

"She ran into the bathroom and refused to come out." Jasper adds. "I convinced Madam Dalloway to leave us here and we'd catch a ride home."

"That asshole" I hiss.

"You were right, Bella. He is an asshole." She cries into my shirt. "I just want to go home. Can you take us home?"

"Of course" I say, putting the car into drive and head down the street.

I was having a shitty day. But I can't imagine how it would feel to see someone you love doing something like that.

"Wait!" Rose shouts. "Pull over. I want some ice cream. Can we go to Sweet Tooth? It's only like 10 minutes from here. Fuck calories. I need some chocolate after a day like this." She mumbles.

"Okay" I say, pulling the car around. In all honesty, I forgot about wanting ice cream midway through my shitty day. Now, that I remembered I wanted some again. It's just sad that Rose's experience will be the cause instead of just wanting some good desert.

"I'll get it" I volunteer, pulling into a parking space. Rose and Jasper each give me $10.

"All I want is chocolate" Rose says in a deadpan voice.

I get out of the car and walk the short distance up the street to be greeted with a long line. Are you serious? I don't want ice cream this bad. However, for Rose, I'll

suffer through it. Plus, after my shitty day, I deserve something to go right.

There are a lot of camera flashes along with camera phones, and a lot of big men in black suits with earpieces standing around a central figure. Who is it?

"Who cares?" I think as I put my iPod on in an attempt to drown the rowdy crowd of people. 30 minutes and halfway through my playlist, I reach the point of the line where I'm actually in the building. The smell of homemade ice cream and fresh baked waffle cones assault my nose and I'm in heaven. I should only have to wait another 10 minutes before I have the treat in my hands. I look and see that I'm approaching the counter where I get to make my order. I start to salivate. This ice cream is gonna be so fucking good. I can't wait.

I feel a buzz in my purse.

Masen: Are you coming to class today?

Shit. It's after 5. Mom knows.

 **Bella: No. It's been a LOOOOOONNNNNNNG day.**

Masen: That bad?

 **Bella: Worse than you can imagine**

Masen:I miss you

 **Bella: I miss you too.**

Masen: Gotta go. Bye

That boy is a mystery.

I look around the shop and take in its cool style. It's filled with vintage memorabilia. But not in a cheesy jukebox way. They have authentic posters signed by Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and other famous actors as well as athletes from various decades.

I hear a loud gasp and look up to see the lady behind the counter and she looks like she's about to faint. Who is it? Before I look back to my iPod I see a familiar blonde haired man stepping from the center of body guards and looking at what's behind the glass. Holy shit!

Is that President Cullen?

At first, I didn't get the hype. Now that I can actually see him, I totally get it. Our President is hot. Pictures don't do him justice. At all. There is no way he's over the age of 35. He definitely lied about his age.

I look around to see everyone in the shop in awe like me… except for one man.

He has on a black trench coat, black gloves and black sunglasses that are probably meant to cover up what looks to be a pretty bad scar over his right eye. Even with the glasses, you can still see the bottom half of it that peeks through. I see him looking at President Cullen out the corner of his eye. His perches his lips at the President before he looks down at the newspaper he has in his hand. He's leaning on a chair, facing the checkout register while holding the paper in one hand with the other in his pocket. He scares the shit out of me. I get caught staring at him and raises an eyebrow. I look away and look at my phone to appear occupied. He looks mean as Hell.

The line begins to move, but the mean guy stays in his spot, not looking at the President, but at the checkout counter. That's weird. He starts to let people pass him in line. He's suddenly engrossed in today's news.

Red flag

There's no way in Hell I'd let someone pass me in the line at Sweet Tooth. Especially, if the line is as long as it was. I wouldn't do that even if I wasn't having a shitty day. Maybe I'm being paranoid.

The line moves up and he lets more people pass him. I'm now standing next to the mean guy in line. He smells like cigarettes and beer. Nasty.

"Didn't your mother tell you it wasn't nice to stare?" he asks, as he openly stares me up and down.

"Sorry"

"It's okay." He laughs, sinisterly. "Nice legs by the way." He finishes as he goes back to reading the same article he'd been reading for the past 10 minutes. I notice him take a look at the register again. I follow his gaze to see that President Cullen is now at the checkout line. He reaches in his pocket to pull out his wallet just as I hear a clicking sound. From that moment on, everything was a blur.

For a split second, the three guards that were with the President had their back turned to help him with his order. I see mean guy take something black out of his pocket. I had a clue what it was. The Secret Servie would be too late. Mean guy points the gun at the President's head and his finger flinches for the trigger

"GUN!" I shout as everyone drops to the floor.

It seems as everything hit me at a fraction of a second.

When a traumatic even happens, some people say that your life flashes before your eyes. I didn't see my whole life. I saw the day I was having. So far I was grounded, had my car repossessed, forced to quit my band, got virtually no sleep, had to wear an outfit that was uncomfortable and heels that I'm pretty sure have given me blisters, fell out of a bus in front of at least 200 people, been stuck with a person who could be considered retarded in at least 2 states, sexually harassed, stranded, had a rumor about started about me, had my phone die, hit on by a homeless man, had to re- repossess my car, got a speeding ticket, got stuck in traffic, had to console a heartbroken friend and wait in a line close to an hour for what? To see the President get shot?

Oh no. Not today.

The only thing that kept me going was the glimmer of hope that I could get some ice cream from this delicious shop. I doubt that "brains" is the new flavor they're offering today. I'd had it with the universe screwing with me. I was taking my destiny into my own hands.

Everything happened so fast.

I see a baseball bat mounted to the wall out the side of my eye. I don't know where I got the strength. Perhaps, I'll never know. I take my right hand, use all the force I can muster taking the bat off of the wall. With the last of my energy, I swing the bat, hitting the man in the arm causing a shot to go off, shattering the glass protecting some of the prized memorabilia. I hear cries of people running out of the shop.

Mean guy cradles his hand. I stand behind him and kick him in the balls. He twirls around to face me. I duck .

I yell. It wasn't a horror movie scream. It was a Xena Warrior Princess cry. I jump on his back and proceed to hit him in the head repeatedly with my fist while my other hand wraps around his neck. I hear the sound of gun shots in the air but I hold on. It's official. I've lost my mind.

It wasn't until I felt a sharp piercing pain in my shoulder as I fell through the air that everything went black.

I got shot. Great.


	5. Chapter 5

**I own nothing.**

 **Don't forget to take a peek at my blog (krystlelovesmovies)com. It's a little something I'm trying out. I would greatly appreciate your support.**

BPOV

" _Someone get an ambulance"_

"You are under arrest…"

" _Bella, everything is gonna be okay."_

"Let us in the back! That's our friend"

" _Where are you taking her?"_

"We gotta stop this bleeding"

" _Get this girl into surgery!"_

Aside from the sharp pains in both my shoulder and back, I only remember small portions of what happened after I officially passed out. Mostly everything was a blur. I couldn't really focus on anything except the pain I was in. That and the fact that I **still** didn't get any fucking ice cream.

Eventually, the pain lessened to the point where it was bearable. And by bearable, I mean that they pump me full of drugs. All I could see were various shades of green in a haze. In the middle of the green cloud were a pair of stunning green eyes. They looked like emeralds, floating in the middle of the cloud. Around the eyes, seem to be the shape of a face, but I can't tell.

"Beautiful" I whisper as the emeralds float closer. Then, the eyes blinked. "Ahhhhhh!" I scream before I go back to sleep. That shit was scary.

I'm high as a fucking kite

"Bella, sweetie. Wake up for Mommy" But I'm tired.

" _I'm so sorry, Bella. This is all my fault."_

No it isn't. It's the mean guy in the jacket with the thing over his eyes fault. "Her hair is fabulous. Does it naturally have hints of red in it?"

Huh?

I float along the pharmaceutical abyss until I hear something terrible.

" _Mike Newton is telling people he's your boyfriend."_

What?

"Nooooooo!" I yell as I shoot off of the bed, jarring my shoulder. "Fuck! That hurt!" I say as I look to the left and see that my shoulder is bandaged up.

"Bella" Rose says, rushing over to the bed and hug me.

"I knew that would wake you up" he laughs, placing me in a Hale twin sandwich. "You're up. I'm so sorry. We should have just gone home." Rose says, sniffling.

"It's not your fault. I wanted ice cream too." I say, patting her back.

*sad face* I still want ice cream.

Now that the drugs are slowly wearing off, I now realize that it feels like my back is being ripped apart.

"Ahhhh" I shriek in pain as I feel my back throbbing. "My back…It hurts."

"I'll get help." Jasper says, leaving the room.

Rose sits on the corner of the bed, while I take a good look around for the first time. It doesn't look like a stereotypical hospital room. It's has more of a posh hotel feel to it. The walls are covered with flower arrangements and other various gifts. The only thing that gives it away is the hydrolic bed and the monitors. I look over to my right and notice that I'm viewing the Washington D.C. skyline from a bird's eye view.

"It's really beautiful isn't it?" Rose asks, noticing my stare.

"Yeah. I didn't know hospital rooms could look like this. It doesn't even smell like alcohol in here." I say with a small laugh.

"Well…" she starts. "This is what happens when you save the life of the President." She says, sarcastically. "By the way, what the Hell were you thinking?"

"Honestly, I don't know." I confess. "I was having a real shitty day. I just reacted, I guess" I say, shrugging my good shoulder.

"Really?" she asks. "Your day was shitty enough to go balls to the walls enough to thwart a Presidential assassination?"

"Yep" I say, popping the 'p'. I tell her the entire ordeal of my shitty day.

"Damn." She says, raising her eyebrows. "You have my complete understanding…and sympathy at the same time. You did have a shitty day." She laughs and I join her. "It's a good thing you're up…finally."

"How long was I…"

"Thank God!" my mom shouts from the doorway.

"You're awake!" my dad adds, as they run to my bedside and engulf me in a hug.

"Ahh" I wince as my mom hugs my back too hard. "My back."

"I'm sorry" she sniffles as she pats my back. "I'm just so happy" she wipes her face.

"We were so scared, sweetie" Dad said, placing a kiss in my hair while hugging me to his chest.

"I'm okay." I say into his chest.

"Bella?" I hear Angela question from the doorframe of the room.

"Hey" I smile as I wave her over.

She runs over to my bed and wraps her arms around my neck.

"Bella!" she starts to cry. "I was so scared. Mom and Dad picked me up from practice. No one told me what was wrong. Then, when I saw you, I didn't know if you were going to wake up" she rushes, tear running down her cheeks.

"It's okay." I say as I pet her hair. "I'm okay. Do you want to sit in the bed with me?" I ask, scooting over.

"Mhmm" she accepts, getting into the small space I left for her and placing her head on my good shoulder.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"How long was I…"

"Wow" interrupts a voice I've never heard of. "It seems that Sleeping Beauty has finally woken up."

How long was I asleep for?

"I'm Dr. Schwartz. I'm just coming to check on you and see how your stitches are doing."

"Stitches?" I ask.

"When you fell, you shattered a glass case. You cut your back pretty bad, sweetie" mom whispers.

So, that's the trouble with my back.

"I'm not going to lie" the doctor starts. "It was pretty terrible. But, lucky for you, someone paid to have the best plastic surgeon in D.C. patch up your back. You should have minimal scarring."

"Good" I tell him. I didn't know what else to say. I didn't think I'd get banged up this bad.

"It looks like you saved the right person. Do you want the bullet?" Dr. Schwartz asks.

"Huh?" I ask, in shock. Who wants to keep the bullet that shot them? That's weird.

"I know it's a weird thing to ask" he tells me, like he's reading my thoughts. "But, you'd be surprised how many people like to keep it."

"I don't think I want…"

"We'll take it" my dad interrupts. "I'll be pissed if it ends up on eBay."

"That's a good point. I do want it." I say. I didn't think of that.

"Well" he says, after he's done changing my bandages. "It's healing. Try not to make any sudden movements. You don't want to tear your stitches. It's easier to check now what you finally woke up."

"How long was I…"

"BABY MAMA!" I hear Jake shout as he enters the room with Paul and Jasper following behind him. "What were you thinking? Who am I going to marry when I turn 30 if you get yourself killed?" he asks, walking over to hug me.

Did Angela sniff him?

"I'm fine" I say, for the 30th time today, laughing at him.

"Good" Paul says, wiping invisible sweat from his forehead. "We need your perpetually late ass."

"Shut up" I say, smacking his neck with my good arm.

"How does it feel being famous?" he asks.

"Famous?" I laugh. "I'm not famous."

"I beg to differ" he argues, turning on the t.v.

Paul turns to CNN. There I see my heroics played for all of the world to see. Personally, I'm surprised that they got the video in such clarity. Is it in HD? The anchors discuss my bravery and how the country is handling the recent attempt on the President's life. I also discovered that I swear… a lot. They had to bleep out every other word that I said. I must have been pissed. I also probably blocked out that part because I don't even remember talking.

"Shit" I say to no one in particular.

"They've been playing that ever since it happened."

"Speaking of that, how long was I…" at the moment I pause my sentence, waiting for someone else to enter the room. After a good 3 seconds I finish my sentence, "out for?"

"You were out for 2 days" mom answers me. "It's Sunday."

Damn

"When you fell, you hit your head too. You were in and out of consciousness." Dr. Schwartz tells me. "I better go." He says, leaving the room.

Damn, I got shot, my back cut up, **and** a concussion?

After the doctor left, I lounged in the bed around my family and friends. We talked, ate dinner (no ice cream) and just relaxed. It was kinda nice having everyone together in one room. It didn't feel rushed. Despite have a shredded back and bum shoulder, I was having a good night. I'd rather be at home.

As Angela starts to yawn, I look at the clock and notice that it's 11:00. It's getting late.

"I can see that you guys are tired" I tell them. "You should go home. I'll be here tomorrow."

"You sure?" mom asks. "You just woke up."

"You're tired." I stress. "Don't stay here on my account. Come back tomorrow." I urge them. Sleeping at the hospital sucks. I wouldn't wish that shit on anybody.

"I'm fine. I'm not going anywhere." I laugh. "Go home. Get some rest. All of you." I order.

After some protesting, I finally convince them to go home to get some sleep.

Alone in my room, I turn on the t.v.. It seems that every channel was showing my "heroic" show of bravery. It was awkward to have everyone talking about it.

I check my phone and found out that I had 100 missed calls and my voicemail and text mail message box was full. How could I answer when I was in a fucking coma? People amaze me.

"Ms. Swan?" a nurse says, peeking her head through my doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Some people are here to see you" she says, opening to door revealing President Cullen and the First Family. I also see several men in black suits with earpieces standing by the door.

Am I still high?

Before I can answer my own question, I see a black blur run across the room.

"Thank you!" she hugs me. "Thank you for saving my Daddy!" she says as her hug turns into a squeeze, hurting my back.

"Ahh" I hiss.

"Oh. I'm sorry." She lets up.

"It's okay. It's just my stitches. They're sensitive." I say, hugging her back.

"I get a little excited sometimes," she explains. "I'm Alice" she introduces herself, shaking my hand.

"I'm Bella" I tell her.

To be honest, I was in shock meeting Alice Cullen. She has small fairy-like features with stunning green eyes. They look familiar. She's pretty, in an obvious kind of way. She seems so… energetic. I had no idea. She seems so quiet on t.v. .

"We're going to be great friends. I can feel it." She tells me, scooting closer into the side of the bed. I couldn't help but giggle at her excitement.

"You're so tiny to be so badass." I hear a booming voice enter the room. "I'm Emmett" he says, reaching over his sister to hug me also.

From what everyone knows, Emmett is the oldest Cullen child. He's known for his tall muscular build, which I must admit is very impressive. He's supposedly really good at sports. To be honest, I always thought he looked intimidating. Now, he looks like a human teddy bear… almost childlike. He's hot. Maybe it's the dimples.

Rose would shit herself if she was here.

"Well…" I start, awkwardly. "I'm Bella."

"I must admit. I was very impressed with what you did. You didn't strike me as the type of girl to go all G.I. Jane on somebody."

"Well, I love surprising people." I laugh. This guy is funny. "I'm…kinda badass, if you haven't noticed." I joke, motioning to my bandaged arm.

"Noted" he laughs and goes to sit in the chair.

"Bella?" President Cullen calls for me. I look over to him briefly before I notice the First Lady and notice her mascara running down her face as she looks at me. I smile at her.

"Thank you so much" she walks over to sit on the other side of my bed. "You saved my husband. You didn't have to. But you did. You don't know…" she starts off, wiping her tears with tissue. "To the world, he just the President. But, he's **my** Carlisle. I don't know how I would have happened had you not… I don't want to even thing about it." She cries leaning into my shoulder.

I don't know what to say. So, I just pat her back and let her cry. "You're welcome" I tell her. "I just hope someone would have done the same for me or someone that I love." I say to everyone.

"Thank you" President Cullen says.

"It's okay, Mr. President."

"No. Call me Carlisle."

"And I'm Esme"

"Um…Okay." This is too real.

"Well, I can't thank you enough" President Cullen starts. "You have no idea what it means to me and my family. The country. I am forever in your debt, Ms. Swan. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"From anyone of us." Alice adds as Emmett and Esme nod their heads. I nod my head.

"My God, you are beautiful" Esme says, taking my chin in her hand and lifting my face to meet her.

"Isn't she" Alice asks. "Look at her hair. I miss mine. I shouldn't have cut it." She says, running one hand through my hair and the other through her hair.

"Yeah." I answer. "You're hair looks good short. It heightens your features."

She runs her fingers through her new pixie haircut and I see the insecurity on her face. Earlier this year, Alice Cullen broke Twitter by chopping off her long locks in favor of a short pixie cut that is reminiscent of Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby. It seemed to be a very polarizing decision among various important fashionistas. People either loved the new hairdo and saluted Alice for her bravery or hated it. There was even a hashtag called #GetAliceAWeave . People can be such assholes.

Personally, I think it's badass.

"Really?" she smiles.

"Yeah"

"Thanks. Is you hair naturally this color? It's like…brown and red and the same time."

"You look beautiful" said a musical voice from the door. I look at the doorway.

His sexiness, Edward Cullen is at the door. Oh my God. His perfect jaw with his perfect pouty lips, and his perfectly unperfect hair.

I wonder if he uses gel to get that look?

I know I've said before that Edward Cullen didn't do it for me, but DAMN! That is one sexy MoFo.

I can't help but blush at my own thoughts.

"Thanks" Alice says.

"You're welcome." He says, walking towards my bed.

Shit. He probably thinks that I thought he called me beautiful. Stupid thoughts. I'm always thinking at the wrong time.

"H-Hi" he starts, then starts to cough. Alice pats him on the back while Emmett laughs. "I'm Edward Cullen. It's a pleasure to meet you." He says, sticking his hand out to shake mine.

"I'm Bella. Pleased to meet you too." I say, shaking his hand. As soon as our hands touch, I feel this spark. It shoots me from my head down to my toes. My heart actually skips a beat and the monitor went crazy. "Static electricity" I say. "It scared me."

"It's okay." He says, looking down at his hand after they separate. "Thank you for saving my father. That was very brave of you."

"You're welcome." I had to fight the urge to call him 'sir' at the end. He's so…formal.

"Are you okay? Does your back hurt?"

"I'm okay. No pain meds needed." I say, shooting my thumbs up. Both of them.

Stupid.

There is an awkward silence in the room. It's lasting way too long. As I'm about to pull the "I've had a long day" card, Rose comes rushing into the room with Jasper behind her.

I thought they left.

"Bella, have you seen my purse? I can't find it" she asks me as they enter the room. It takes them a second to realize who I'm talking to.

"SHIT!" they both shout as their eyes bulge out of their head. "Sorry, Mr. President." They say in unison. Everyone starts to laugh.

"It's a…" Rose and Jasper start.

"Twin thing. We get it." Edward and Alice finish together, causing us all to laugh again.

"Damn" Emmett pouts. "I wish I had a twin. I feel left out. You wanna be my twin Bella?"

"Okay" I say, giggling to myself. Emmett is serious.

"Starting now." He says, looking at me. I feel like he's waiting for something.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" we both ask. Once again everyone starts laughing.

Our laughing stops as Carlisle gets a phone call. At least, I'm assuming it's him because the ringtone is Hail to the Chief.

"I gotta go" Carlisle says, gathering his jacket from the chair Emmett is sitting in. "I'm sorry that Esme and I couldn't stay longer. It's been a real pleasure meeting you." He turns to Emmett, Alice and Edward. "If you want to stay longer, have Al…" as soon as the syllable 'Al' is mentioned, Emmett, Alice and Edward tense up. Esme puts on her 'everything is fine face' I'm confused. "I mean Demetri take you home." Carlisle recovers and starts to leave.

"Okay" they say in unison as Carlisle and Esme walk out.

Alice walks up to Jasper and introduces herself. "Hello there. I'm Alice Cullen" she says, extending her hand. It's funny to see the oh-so-cool Jasper stutter when he tries to say his name. "I-I'm J-J-Jasper" he says, shaking her hand.

3 stutters. Nice.

"I'm Rose" my best friend says, as Alice hugs her.

"We're going to be friends. Like me and Bella. I like your outfit by the way."

"Thanks" Rose smiles before complimenting Alice on her outfit as well.

"I'm Edward," His sexiness introduces himself to Rose and Jasper.

"And I'm" Emmett starts before pushing Edward out of the way, "Emmett" he says before taking Rose's hand and placing a kiss on it. "Very nice to meet you."

I can tell that Rose wants to smile. However, she's trying not to.

"Same here" she says, with a straight face. She looks intrigued, yet bored. I bet she's jumping for joy on the inside.

"I hope you aren't going to introduce yourself to me like that" Jasper laughs, causing Emmett to look at Rose and blush.

Awww.

After everyone is introduced to one another, I watch as everyone else hunts for Rose's purse.

"Found it!" Emmett says, dangling the purse from its strap. "Do I get a reward, Rose."

"Yeah." She says, putting on her best flirt grin. Work it Bitch! "You get the privilege of walking me to my car."

"Well…" Emmett says, extending his arm. Rose puts her arms through his and they exit the room.

James who?

"I guess I better follow them" Jasper says. "You could come, A-A-Alice. I-I mean if you'd rather…"

"I'd love to." Alice says, gathering her coat and leaving with Jasper to follow Rose and Emmett. 3 secret service men follow them as they leave, leaving 3 behind.

"What just happened?" I asked.

"No clue." Edward answers.

"And then there were two."

Edward just sits there, staring at nothing until I hear my phone buzz. I check it.

 **Rose: OMG! OMG! OMG! Did you see that?**

Me: Yeah. I did.

 **Rose: James who?**

Me: Unattainable huh?

I laugh as I send the last text.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Edward asks.

"Boyfriend?" I ask, giggling. I had to laugh at that one. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"But," he starts off confused. "There's this boy, Mike Newton. He says he's your boyfriend."

"WHAT?" I shout turning my entire body facing him, making me shriek in pain. I think I tore some stitches this time. "He's NOT MY BOYRFRIEND! He's telling people that?"

"Uh…yeah." He answers.

"That lying sack of shit!" I shout. "First, he tricks me into kissing him. Then, he lies to the ENTIRE country, saying he's my boyfriend. The kiss wasn't even good. It was a fucking peck. I kiss my grandfather with more feeling. As soon as I'm able, I'm going to stick my foot up his lying ass!" I shout to no one in particular. Maybe it's the pain.

"So… he's not your boyfriend?" he asks.

"No. Never." I say, vehemently. "He's been stalking me since kindergarten. He can't take a hint." I say, grabbing my back. "My back… it hurts."

"I'll get some help" he says, walking out the door.

I'm going to kill Mike Newton

Edward comes back with a doctor and a brown paper bag. He checks my bandage to see that I didn't tear my stitches. I was glad. Stitches are a bitch, especially when you have to get them redone.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah. It's better." I say, as I lean back in my bed. "I just need to stop moving."

"Okay." He says.

Back to silence.

"I like your music."

"Really?" I ask, surprised. I stick my head up, trying not to move anything below my neck.

"Yeah. When everything happened, people started putting your performances up on YouTube."

"Oh. Which ones do you like?" I ask.

"All of them." He says. " But I like Black Sheep the best. That one was pretty badass. You sound good live."

"Thanks. Paul, the man on bass, he helped me write that one." I say. "I've never met a fan." I laugh. This whole thing is surreal.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you have tons now."

"Not as many as you, though. Anyone mentions your name and the girls go crazy." I giggle.

"What can you do?" he shrugs his shoulders, laughing. "It's weird though."

"I imagine so." I answer, with a yawn.

"It's 1:00" he says, pointing to the clock. "You've had a long day. You need to rest."

I answer with another yawn. Edward laughs.

"I got you something." He points to a brown paper bag in the tray by my bed.

"Okay" I say with a yawn. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" he says, leaning over my bed to hug me. Fuck, he smells good. "Thank you for saving my Father, Bella" he says, patting my head, pressing it into his chest.

"You're welcome." I say, hugging him back.

He leans back to look at me. "Sweet dreams."

"You too." I yawn. He laughs.

"Bye" he says, walking to the door and shutting off the lights.

"Bye" I watch him as she backs out the door, closing the door behind him.

Curiosity gets the best of me and I turn on the t.v. so I'd have enough light to see what he got me. He got me the best thing ever… a pint of Chocolate Chunk ice cream. I'm able to reach to the tray to find a spoon and I dig in, eating ice cream in the dark.

Mmmm

At that moment, I realized 3 things:

Edward Cullen wasn't as rigid as I thought. I probably wouldn't see him again. And, his voice sounded familiar.

But I couldn't figure out why.


	6. Update

Hello, guys!

Long time. No read.

Your private messages and reviews have not gone unnoticed.

I know. I know. I've been a bit late with updating a few of my stories. I suck.

I don't want you all to think that I have abandoned you. As a matter of fact, nothing can be further from the truth.

Earlier this year, I experienced a really intense health scare. The doctors couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. After six weeks of discomfort, inner turmoil, clinical tests and the mention of the dreaded 'C-word', my rather simple medical issue was correctly diagnosed and I got better. Great doctors ROCK!

Then, I lost my job— lack of creativity. *insert eye roll*

As you can imagine, 2016 has thrown me for a loop.

Contrary to popular assumption, I did not feel upset or scared about getting fired. I did not like my job and didn't find it particularly inspiring. I found it hard to get out of bed in the morning to go to a job I didn't like with people I couldn't stand. I felt relieved. Good riddance. Thanks to smart financial planning, I'm lucky to have enough finances to last about a year. Therefore, I'm not pressed for money yet.

When you think that your time on this Earth may be limited, it forces you to put things into perspective. I wanted to be fulfilled emotionally and spiritually by my work. So, I was in a position to think about what I wanted my next move to be. Immediately, it hit me.

I want to be a published author.

I am proud to say that I am mostly finished with my first full-length novel! If I have my way, it will be finished and available online by Valentine's Day next year. It's been hell receiving critiques from editors and other professionals but it is worth it.

In addition to completing my book, I've found some new work and have also started my own podcast with one of my best friends. It covers movies, music, TV and other pop culture topics. It's his passion project so I'm helping him out with his social content, topic selection and editing. We're about five episodes in and we're getting better EVERY episode.

Want a sneak preview of my upcoming novel?

Follow the KVA Podcast (at WeLovetoArgue on Twitter) on iTunes or Google Play and leave a review. Then, PM me with your email address. It's that simple. The reviews don't even have to nice. We welcome all honest feedback.

Getting the chance to put my plot bunnies to work in fun and news ways has always been a high point in my life. Whenever I post a new update, I check my phone constantly for reviews and criticism. Over the years, you all have truly made me a better author. I look forward to stepping forward in this next phase in my life with you all.

Thank you.

I just want you all to know that I'm not dead.


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